


Magearna and the Three Kingdoms

by orphan_account



Series: Pokemon Movie Reimaginings [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe, Canon Rewrite, Gen, Gray Morality, Nature VS Technology, POV Multiple, Political Intrigue
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-28
Updated: 2016-09-03
Packaged: 2018-07-17 22:26:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 46,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7288501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the Heart Diamond at the core of the Diamond Domain, deep underneath the land of Kalos, begins to die, its queen Diancie and her entourage set out to restore their home. During her journey she is dragged into a brewing conflict between Volcanion, a fierce Pokémon god who rules over a hidden homeland in the mountains for abused Pokémon, and Jarvis Sakuro, the ambitious cabinet minister of a dying kingdom with personal ties to its history. At the center of the fighting is Magearna, a mechanical Pokémon who was built as an energy source five hundred years ago and taken by Volcanion.</p><p>A reimagining of "Volcanion and the Ingenious Magearna".</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Gears Shift

_15XX, The Azoth Kingdom_

Humming an old Kalosian folk tune, Eliphas hung up the sheet of paper containing the plans for his most recent invention. He admired a wall of parchments, each with the skeleton of a machine, some of which he already built and others existing so far only in his imagination. Every single one was stamped with his family crest - a stylized pink  _fleur-de-lis_. He was an engineer by training, but his most recent jobs had stretched his abilities to the limit, the latest most of all.

Not that he minded. It was best for an inventor's abilities to be tested, and his latest job was certainly a test. A royal commission, no less, straight from the Azothian king himself, offering a fortune's worth in gold in exchange for a source of reliable, lasting energy. It was an open secret that the Azoth Kingdom needed a new fuel source and fast. Besides his duty to King and country, Eliphas needed the reward money the Crown offered - not just for himself and funding future creations, but for his descendants, who would be growing up and would rely on the money made from selling his designs.

It was hard to think of the king's commission as only another creation, like the weapons and machines he had designed for his patrons in the past. This one was different. It would be a Pokémon of sorts, powered by an eternal energy source within the core. It had eyes, hands, and a mechanical brain like a living Pokémon, but thanks to the special engine embedded in its main body it would never stop working. He intended to destroy his research, of course - the Soul Heart, as he called it, would be unspeakably dangerous in untrained hands, and the design itself would be handed over to the royal library along with the final product for safekeeping. As long as it stayed within Azoth's walls there would be no trouble. Azoth was legendary for its stone walls and solid defenses. Eliphas himself designed those walls along with the king's military advisors.

Eliphas wasn't often one to get sentimental over the things he built. No matter how sophisticated, they were only _things,_ with no soul to them like humans and Pokémon had. It didn't do to get attached to something that wouldn't get attached back. However, the mechanical Pokémon was, for all intents and purposes, alive. It would be in all but flesh and blood a living thing, a loyal servant to the kingdom with its own intelligence and will.

It wasn't his, he reminded himself. He couldn't get too attached. By the terms of the commission the creature would belong to the Azoth Kingdom as a whole and the royal family specifically. But he couldn't help but love the creature he was piecing together - it was his creation, not just a lump of metal, and he felt responsible for its safety. He wrote a letter asking the king and queen to treat it as humanely as they would a real Pokémon, as part of the conditions of his accepting their request. Squinting, he examined the parchment more closely, holding it up to candlelight.

The design was of a strange-looking robot, with a gear-shaped head and small waist perched atop a bulbous metal body. A cross-section revealed grinding gears in the place of guts and rods for bones, all powered by the Soul Heart within. The Soul Heart was the last piece he needed before his mechanical Pokemon would be complete and presentable to the royal family. It would take time, but he would be done before the deadline. The Azoth Kingdom would have enough clean energy for centuries to come, the energy shortage would be averted, and the king would be pleased with the old engineer's work. The last matter of business was the Soul Heart, something he put off for too long.

The Soul Heart would be made through methods Eliphas wouldn't have considered if the situation hadn't been so desperate. It was from the extracted life essences of Pokémon, an old, dark art that hadn't been touched since the Great War for good reason. It wasn't something he wanted to do, but there wasn't anything else that would fit the king's parameters. Perpetual motion and clean energy were not something easy to make. He hadn't had the heart to use his own household Pokémon as fuel for the engine, and he didn't want to steal someone's pet. Instead he used Pokémon who were sick and dying, reasoning that becoming part of a new Pokémon would allow them to live again in a way. Their sacrifice would save the Azoth Kingdom itself from destruction. He made sure to throw the plans he worked with into the fire. He would be the last one to use Soul Energy ever again, and only once. The secret would die when he did. It wouldn't do for it to be discovered by someone with darker intentions than Eliphas. Even he felt tainted by using those arts, and part of him regretted it as much as he felt it necessary.  

As far as he knew, even with the threat of a looming energy crisis, no one had taken on the royal family's commission. But someone had to - his children needed a future, and as an Azothian by birth it was his duty. Now, after weeks of planning and hard work, he was almost done. He returned to his work desk and a hulking shape hidden under a white sheet. Almost finished.

An artificial Pokémon, capable of everything a real Pokémon could do - why, that was something that had never been seen since ancient times and long-dead civilizations. It was his greatest invention. Now his creation needed a name - he almost considered it a child, and every child needed a name - and he had just the one. Eliphas threw the sheet back, exposing a three-foot-tall painted metal shell to the open window, its glass eyes seeming to shine pink in the sunlight and arms flat to its side. Even he, who built it, had to admit that it almost looked alive even before the Soul Energy went in.

"What do _you_ think, Magearna?"

* * *

_460 Years Later_

When they heard a knock at their door at three in the afternoon, the Sakuros were very surprised. They didn't receive many visitors to begin with - most salesmen knew that the family couldn't afford to buy much, and they lived in the Azoth Kingdom's outskirts, far from the notice of the city's heart. Their family wasn't famous. They didn't know their neighbors well, and they guessed nobody would think a ramshackle hovel in the poorer area was worth visiting anyway. Especially nobody from Azoth's upper class, who rarely even bothered to think about the kingdom's poor, much less go out to visit them.

Thinking it might have been the neighbors, Mrs. Sakuro opened the door to see two men in ceremonial dress, with the royal family's seal pinned to their robes. She guessed they were Azoth Kingdom officials of some kind. The taller of the two cleared his throat. "This is the Sakuro household, I presume?"

"Yes. What..."

"Sorry if we bothered you, ma'am, but we're here on official business from the royal court. His Majesty sent us. If you would please let us in, ma'am, we can sort this out quickly..."

Mr. Sakuro interrupted as the two entered, Mrs. Sakuro rushing to prepare a table. "We paid our taxes this year. We have no debts. What's going-"

The shorter official raised a hand. "This has nothing to do with you, sir or ma'am. We assure you that you are in no trouble. It's about your son."

"What's he done?" Mrs. Sakuro shot a glance to the stairs. "He's a good boy, sir, never caused anyone any trouble. No criminal record of any kind. Not even shoplifting. He hasn't even left the house off-hours since the civil service exams last month."

"Yes, about those. Your son isn't in trouble, ma'am, don't worry, quite the opposite. We do need to see him right away. Assuming we have the right house." The shorter official checked the papers he held. "Jarvis Sakuro? I assume he lives here? This _is_ the address he gave us on his test form..."

Now they could guess what this was about. They spent almost every last bit of the money they had left to pay their only son's entrance fees for the annual civil service examinations at the palace. It would give him a chance, however slight, for a brighter future than living at home would offer. Their hopes hadn't been high - competition was notoriously ruthless, and he'd be going up against some very rich and powerful Azothian families - but he was a smart boy and devoted so much free time to studying in the library and at home. He threw himself utterly into learning mathematics, languages, and especially politics, any subject that could come up. They told him to do his best and to not be disappointed if he didn't pass the exam, but he came home so happy and proud that they didn't have the heart to tell him his chances. He had the whole of his adult life to learn that life wasn't fair.

"Probably in his room upstairs," said Mrs. Sakuro with a sigh. "He's always reading at strange hours, even out of school. It's a habit of his. We aren't sure where he got it from." She turned, calling up the stairs. "Jarvis! Come down!"

"What is it now?" A faint male voice came from above, followed by coughing. "Mom, I'm busy. Can't this wait until after dinner?"

"Afraid not. Some men from the palace are here. They say they want to see you, and it's important."

There was a clatter from upstairs, the sound of a heavy book being slammed shut, and a teenage boy rushed headlong down the wooden steps. Jarvis Sakuro was a gawky, lanky creature, almost as tall as his father at sixteen years old, light purple hair flying in his face and a dogeared library copy of _A Comparative Survey of Kalosian Politics_ under one arm. His dark eyes were bright and darting. His already ragged clothes were covered in dirt, some of the patches on his shirt falling apart. A Pokémon floated alongside him in a cloud of blue gas - Kage, a shiny Gastly and the family Pokémon.

Like many people who owned Ghost Pokémon, the Sakuro family didn't know how old Kage was, only that she was something of an heirloom. The Gastly belonged to Mr. Sakuro, and his father before him, and the God of the Mountains only knew how many Sakuros she watched grow up over the centuries. Even they wondered how a lower-class family had possession of such a special Gastly. As the only surviving member of the latest generation, Jarvis would legally inherit her on his father's wishes or death, and he already seemed to have a strong rapport with her. He didn't use her in battle - very few lower-class families in Azoth could afford to keep Pokémon, much less battle them - but she was his ever-present study companion. For someone as isolated and devoted to his work as Jarvis Sakuro, Kage was probably his only real friend who wasn't a book.

"H-hello?" The boy gave an audible gulp before picking himself up, glancing to his parents, and trying his best to look professional. He dusted off his clothes and bowed before the two officials, Kage following. The Gastly stuck close by, as if sensing his fear and trying to comfort him. "My name is Jarvis Sakuro. How may I help you?"

The taller official remained emotionless. "Mr. Sakuro, do you remember the civil service exam you took last month at the palace?"

Jarvis's eyes went wide. "Yes. They've been scored? I...I passed, didn't I?" Mrs. Sakuro saw fear flicker across her son's already pale face. She wasn't the only one who had been worrying.

"Yes. Mr. Sakuro, sir, you had the highest general score of the entire testing group by a considerable margin. The king sent us to offer you and your family his deepest congratulations." The short official took Jarvis's limp hand and shook it warmly. Jarvis himself looked utterly in shock, as did his parents and even Kage. "It's been many years since someone from the outskirts made it into the palace's employ, and especially through the exams. There are some very rich people who spent fortunes to get where you might go. Now, come along with us. His Majesty the King of Azoth would like to meet you. Then we can decide where to place you. Nothing too exciting to start with, I'm afraid, but with your brains you'll be rising through the ranks soon enough, kid."

"Course, there are other things. Good wages, your own study in the palace, and proper eating. Look how skinny you are. We'll get you fed up soon enough." The tall guard clapped Jarvis on the back with a laugh, almost knocking the boy over.

Jarvis picked himself up and managed a small smile, probably thinking of life at the palace, before it faded into a worried expression as the full implications sank in. "So, I'm leaving home? I know Dad's having trouble with money, and Mom works so hard..."

"Sorry, kid. You have new quarters close by the palace. You can receive letters and visits from your folks if they're invited, but that's it. Not much free time in government work. Should've thought about that."

Mr. Sakuro took his shoulder. "Don't worry, son. We can take care of ourselves, and a palace job would do you good. Tell you what...if it'll help you feel better about leaving, take Kage with you." Jarvis looked at the Gastly, who licked his hand in a friendly gesture. He shivered, but smiled again. "She's pretty much yours anyway. I'm sure you'll take good care of her."

"I promise." Kage gave a cackle and posed attentively beside her new trainer. "We'll do our best, won't we, Kage? Think about it - me, working for the king!" The Gastly seemed to nod, and the boy knelt beside her, almost in tears. "Oh, Kage. I can't believe we did it." Kage licked him on the face. "Promise me _you_ won't ever change, okay?"

"We don't mind," said the tall official to Mr. Sakuro. "If it's his Pokémon, of course he can take it with him. Reckon the kid could use something familiar in the palace. It helps people adjust. 'Sides, I'm sure he'll be fine, a smart kid like that. I'd wager high places are in store for that one."

Mr. Sakuro nodded, watching the two with pride. "Jarvis is a smart boy. Didn't think he'd make it in, but miracles happen. I'm not worried about him." He tried to hide the slight quiver in his voice. "Who knows? He might grow up to be quite the politician _and_ quite the Trainer."

Moving past the officials, Mrs. Sakuro kissed her son on the cheek, tears in her eyes. Jarvis shifted slightly - she was his mother, and he loved her, but he didn't seem sure if it was good form to be seen like this. "Good luck, son. Be good, take care, and remember where you came from. You're a Sakuro through and through. Do our family proud for the king."

"I will, Mom. Take care yourself." Jarvis stood up, trying to summon the gravitas he would need as a politician even while his hair was dripping wet with Gastly saliva. He didn't resist the hug when it came.

"And Kage?" The Gastly stopped, listening to Mrs. Sakuro's instructions. "Please, look after my son at the palace. Whatever happens, keep him safe." Kage, hovering in her cloud of blue gas, seemed to nod. "Oh, what am I worried about? I'm sure he'll be fine."

"Well, this is sweet and all," said the tall official, clearing his throat, "but we've got a schedule to keep. We don't have all day. Come along, kid." Jarvis gave a solemn nod, following them out the door, and only looked back for a moment to his parents as the palace officials led him and Kage away. 


	2. Setting the Board

_30 years later, The Diamond Domain_

Sometimes Diancie wished that she didn't have to stay in the Diamond Domain. It was true that it was beautiful - having never left her underground home since she was born, she couldn't say for sure that it was the most beautiful place in Kalos, but it had to be up there. But Chief Advisor Dace said that the world above was dangerous, inhabited by thieves and poachers who could capture her or, worse, trail her to the Domain. It had few natural defenses besides the Carbink and Diancie herself, and she had never been in a serious fight before. Her only experience with violence was friendly sparring matches against Merrick, her battle trainer. Merrick thought Diancie could fight.

Dace meant well, of course. As the oldest Carbink in the Domain, easily millions of years old, he had a lot of experience with how brutal the outside world could be. He had the scratches on his stone body to prove it. That scar was from a human trapper's Houndoom, this mark was made by a wild Salamence's wayward Flamethrower. His horror stories played a large part in why Diancie, despite her misgivings, obeyed her Chief Advisor. Dace wasn't wrong. The outside world _was_ dangerous. There was no disputing that.

However, Diancie disagreed, even if quietly. It would be better for everyone if she could defend herself and her clan. The Carbink were brave, but most of them weren't fighters. That was what happened if you cut yourself off from the rest of Kalos for thousands of years. What if the poachers and vicious wild Pokémon Dace feared found the Domain anyway, and its people were helpless? Diancie would be a bad queen if she couldn't protect them, and sparring matches with Pokémon as inexperienced as herself were no substitute for real battle.

Once, a long time ago, she had been a Carbink herself, and not a particularly high-ranking one, before she woke up one day to find her body changed and herself declared leader of the Carbink clan. Diancie, as Dace explained to her once, were extremely rare and automatically carried high positions in colonies of Carbink.

"Your Majesty? Thinking again?"

Diancie knew the speaker by his gravelly voice. Chief Advisor Dace hopped into her room, the blue diamonds embedded in the walls glowing bright against his dull gray body. She didn't like it when other Pokémon entered her personal chamber without warning, but he probably had a fair reason for it. Interrupting so rudely wasn't like him. "Yes. What is it, Dace?"

Dace's blue eyes were grim, and Diancie regretted snapping at him. Her instincts told her that something was horribly wrong. "Your Majesty, you need to come with me. I have a matter that requires your attention. It's the Heart Diamond." Diancie nodded and followed him, the glowing eyes of Carbink following them from the shadows. The Diamond Domain was smaller than it seemed, partly because only a dozen or so Carbink lived there - most of it was gray rock and the glowing diamonds that gave the Domain both its natural beauty and its name.

It was a double-edged sword. The Carbink and Diancie needed the diamonds to sustain the health of the land. Humans, Dace told her, were greedy and would steal the diamonds to admire or sell. Diancie once suggested that the clan could share some of the smaller diamonds with humans, and that way they wouldn't need to steal. She could make diamonds herself. Dace only said that she didn't know humans as well as he did. They wouldn't be satisfied with small diamonds. The only way to protect their homeland was to keep it hidden.

Most importantly, the Carbink clan hid the largest and most powerful diamond of all: the Heart Diamond, which stabilized the Domain with its very presence and gave the subterranean kingdom light and life. Without it, the Carbink could never have settled down in one place for so long. Maintaining the Heart Diamond was Diancie's job. Every year, she and her entourage would journey to the Domain Core to make sure that it was there and healthy. It was assumed by the Carbink that Diancie was the best suited for the task because her presence made the smaller diamonds that dotted the cavern glow, so she could presumably do the same to the giant diamond that they depended on.

Not that anything ever happened. Diancie had carried out the ceremony over five hundred times, the Heart Diamond glowing as pink and strong as ever. She honestly couldn't imagine anything happening to it, if only because so much depended on it.

"Chief Guard Allotrope went to check the Heart Diamond this morning, as is the custom for our clan," said Dace, "but she says something was wrong with it. It was almost completely dull, with nothing but a faint flicker of light in the core. Your Majesty, if I may offer a theory, I think it's sick. It's been here since before you were born in our caves, and like all things it must age and die. If we cannot get the light going again, our clan will have to leave the Diamond Domain and find somewhere else to live."

Diancie shook her head. "Dace, we can't just leave. You're the one who says we have to stay hidden from humans."

"We do. But without the Heart Diamond's protection, we'll have no choice." Dace sighed. "I hoped I'd never live to see this day."

"There's still a chance. I was made the Queen because I can help the little diamonds grow stronger." Diancie pointed to a faintly glowing blue diamond. "The Heart Diamond is just another diamond, just a lot bigger. There's no reason why my powers shouldn't be able to work on it. We can't give up now!"

Dace paused. "Feel free to try, Your Majesty. Come to the Core and you can use your powers on it. It's worth a shot, at least." Several more Carbink joined Diancie and Dace at the entrance to the Domain Core. She recognized the others as members of her court: Merrick, Bort, and Allotrope. Allotrope, at the head of the group, was the energetic Chief Guard of the sacred diamond. Bort rarely spoke, his job making sure that the entrance went undetected. All three raised their ears in salute.

"Queen Diancie. Right this way." Allotrope guided the four into the Heart Diamond's chamber, a vast underground room dominated by a huge pink diamond that hung from the stone ceiling. In normal circumstances, the Heart Diamond glowed a constant soothing pink, almost seeming to pulsate with the reserves of energy within. Now it was a dull gray, apart from a faint throbbing spot at its core which beat like a heart. With every beat, it seemed to grow a little fainter.

Dace and Allotrope were right. The Heart Diamond was sick.

Diancie approached the diamond as the four Carbink parted, letting her through. She did what she did with the smaller diamonds in the tunnels - she laid her hands on the ailing Heart Diamond, letting her energy become one with its own. For a moment it seemed to work, the diamond's color becoming more vivid for just a moment before fading away again. Diancie repeated the process as it went dead a second time. With every attempt she forced more and more of her power into the diamond, only for it to falter, until she finally used it up, collapsing to the floor as the Carbink rushed to her side.

"Lady Diancie!"

"Are you all right?" Dace looked to the diamond, back in its half-dead state. "Don't do it again, Your Majesty, we implore you. You're only hurting yourself."

Diancie got up, groaning. "My...my power didn't work. Why didn't it work?"

"If you ask me," said Allotrope, "you aren't powerful enough for your abilities to work on a diamond of that size. You need more power. Either that, or we could use something that would give us a lot of energy very fast."

"If there's nothing even Lady Dianie can do," said Dace, "we'll have to leave before the Heart Diamond completely dies, and as soon as we can. We don't know how much time we have left to gather up everybody and move." He coughed. "I don't want to leave, milady, but we have no choice. Survival of the clan comes first."

Diancie held firm. "Dace, we can't just give up on our home. There has to be a way to save it. We need more energy, don't we? We just need to find a more powerful Pokémon who can do what I can't, or a way to power me up."

Merrick came forward, eyes on the ailing diamond. "Dace, Diancie's right. We still have a slight chance. There might be someone I used to know who can help." The other Carbink fell quiet. "Listen carefully. There is a land far from here called the Nebel Plateau, where I lived three centuries ago before coming to the Diamond Domain. It is ruled by Volcanion, the great God of the Mountains. Volcanion takes in homeless and abandoned Pokémon and protects the Plateau from hunters. But the journey will be long and dangerous, and the God of the Mountains does not take kindly to intruders. Most of his real hatred is for humans, but he is distrustful of strangers. He may know a Pokémon powerful enough to help us. At the very least it will be a safe place for our clan to move to even if the Diamond dies."

"I refuse to hear of it. Such a plan is far too dangerous!" Dace confronted Merrick hotly. "Lady Diancie will not endanger herself on something so foolhardy-"

Diancie cut him off, standing between them. "Dace, this is my decision to make. I'm going to go to the Nebel Plateau with Merrick to find Volcanion. I will not let the Diamond Domain or my clan die if we can still save them. Come with me if you worry so much. Merrick, do you know where the Nebel Plateau is?"

"Not precisely. It isn't on humans' maps, and Volcanion uses his powers to hide it from strangers' eyes. It is said that only Pokémon can find the Plateau. However, I do know it is somewhere far to the south of Kalos. We could get there in a few weeks' time, if our luck is good. We'll need a group close enough to defend ourselves and small enough to avoid notice from humans. Together with Diancie, we make five."

Diancie shifted. "Merrick, maybe the humans could help us. I'm sure not all of them are as bad as the stories say, and they travel more quickly than we could."

"That may be," said Merrick, "but we can't take the risk. There's too much at stake. You are not to make contact with humans. We travel during the day and stick to deserted areas if we can. Volcanion prefers those areas anyway. He won't go anywhere near people if he can help it. When we find him, we find the Plateau." He issued Allotrope and Bort their orders. "You two, get ready. Diancie, I advise that you rest in your chamber. We'll be leaving the Diamond Domain in the morning and you need all of your strength."

Three of the Carbink split off, leaving Dace alone with Diancie. His white, beardlike collar twitched. "I'm still not comfortable with this, you understand. But Merrick is right, and...I'd rather not leave, to be honest. The Domain is our clan's home. I'll come with you and the others."

Fair enough. Diancie could agree with Dace there. The old Carbink was honest to a fault, and allowing him to come along would cause no harm. Maybe he would see that he was wrong about humans and other Pokémon.

As for herself, she wasn't sure how to feel. She had wanted to leave the Domain and explore the upper world, and part of her, she realized with shame, was excited by the chance. However, she hadn't wanted it to happen quite like this. She dismissed Dace and returned to her chamber to make sense of her mixed feelings. All of them, herself included, needed some time to think before the trip.

* * *

The Royal Library was still and quiet, the silence only interrupted by hushed whispers as two figures entered the vast chamber. One was a man of average height and dressed in the traditional blue-and-gold robes of a member of the Azothian royal family, his blond hair faded to white. The other was a head taller, wearing the standard brown uniform of a cabinet member. The orange markings on his collar and sleeves indicated that he held high rank even among them.

The second man's voice was quick and excited, even though the first gestured for quiet. "Your Honor, I would like to ask your permission to open the royal archives, Eliphas's papers in particular. There may be something that can help us figure out what's happening and how to stop it. I know something like this has happened before."

The King took the other man by the shoulder to calm him. "Chief Minister Sakuro, I thought you and your colleagues in the cabinet were working on a solution to the energy crisis. You've had three weeks on the assignment and not much to show for it."

"Yes, well," Jarvis Sakuro replied, shaking the gesture off, "to be honest with you we have no idea what to do ourselves. I've been checking any resource I can find. The public archives have no information on what the city's old energy source was or why our power is starting to die. Five hundred years of clean energy and suddenly the lights start to flicker and the gears grind to a halt. There are no references to it in our history books outside of very vague allusions dating back to Eliphas's time..."

"Then what makes you think the Royal Archives would help?"

"The few references I could find suggested that Eliphas created some kind of energy source for the Azoth Kingdom in response to a situation very like the current one. No specifics as to what it was, unfortunately, but it's common knowledge that on Eliphas's death all of his papers became property of the crown by royal decree. If he really _did_ create a perpetual energy source, I should be able to find references to it in his journals or even designs here. With enough details, we could recreate the procedure ourselves, or at least have some idea of what he did." Jarvis fiddled with his collar. "To be blunt, Your Honor, it's all I can do to get my colleagues to listen to me more than they have to. I may be the Cabinet Minister, but I've only held the position for two years, and you don't hear the things they say about me when my back is turned."

Just that morning he'd overheard Lord Faraday, a balding man who was several years older than Jarvis, talking to Baron Kelvin about the upstart who dared tell the kingdom's lords that they were wrong. Faraday was the most outspoken about it, but he had no friends on the royal cabinet. It was depressing. Jarvis was considered a prodigy by his teachers, had been the youngest cabinet member in Azothian history, and he was still treated like the ragged, frightened boy who'd been brought before the King thirty years ago. He was called a radical for his ideas, things he considered plain good sense. Isolationism was not viable political policy anymore. He proposed reforms to help the Kingdom's poor, raising taxes on people who could afford it, only to hear scoffing from people who he was sure had never been poor. Though he never voiced it, since the King had shown him kindness, he considered the monarchy a relic of the past, a drain on money and unnecessary when the cabinet held most of the real power.

The two slipped into a corner of the library to continue their conversation, the King shaking his head. "It doesn't matter what they say, Jarvis. You're a seasoned politician, and I chose you for a reason. Whip them into shape."

"It doesn't matter? Not to disagree with you, sir, but they do not pay me the respect due to someone in my position. As far as the bluebloods on the royal cabinet are concerned, I never left the slums where I was born. They hate the idea of taking orders from a lowborn like me. They won't listen to me because of who I am. I can lecture until my throat is hoarse, but it won't do any good if they don't _care_."

Waving away the complaint, the King replied, "All the more reason to have someone with intelligence and competence at their head. You show people that it's possible to rise above your low circumstances to achieve greatness."

"Don't flatter me. I got where I am because of hard work and years' worth of studying, and no small part of luck. What happened to me was very unusual. Most of my colleagues haven't worked a day in their lives." The last sentence came out as a vicious hiss. "But I digress. Your Honor, there's no sugarcoating this. We have to tell the people of the Azoth Kingdom what's going on. They have a right to know the truth. No one has any idea of what to do, least of all us. Declare a state of emergency. At least allow me to give a public address on the issue."

"A fair request, but we don't want the people to panic. We don't tell them until we've exhausted all of our options. I've been very careful about who I've told about this. Captain Doga and General Ether haven't been consulted. I haven't even informed Prince Racel about the full extent of the energy crisis."

"Involving Doga and Ether would be assuming we use our military for anything _other_ than gathering rust these days. But Racel? He's your son! If anyone should know-"

"Racel may be in the royal line, but he also is only seven years old. A bright boy he may be - of course he is, with you as his tutor - but he isn't ready yet. Princess Chymia knows. She's the older of the two, and next in line to the throne." The King tutted. "Jarvis, Jarvis. You worry too much. It's bad for your health. Look after yourself."

"As your Chief Minister, it's _my_ neck on the block when the Azothian people do find out we've been keeping secrets. This _is_ my concern as well as the kingdom's." Jarvis drew a finger across his throat to emphasize his point. "But enough about this. Your Honor, the Royal Archives-?"

"I remember when you weren't nearly so cynical about these things. You used to be _excited_ about politics back then." As Jarvis watched, the King drew a small bronze key from his pocket and handed it over along with a second, black key. "Here. This first key will get you into the royal collection. Eliphas's papers are in a small brown box far to the back, and the second key will help you open it. Be careful with them."

"So do I, Your Honor. I was young and stupid back then." Jarvis fingered the black key before slipping it into a pocket of his uniform. It was rusty around the bow, probably as old as the papers themselves. "May I take a few to my study? I know enough Middle Azothian from my own research to read them, but it'll take some time."

"Let me know if you find anything worth pursuing in Eliphas's papers. He was one of the wisest men the Azoth Kingdom ever produced - if anyone has an idea of what to do, it would be him."

Jarvis didn't reply, but instead opened the door to the Royal Collection in the back. Finding the box in the back of the royal collection wasn't hard, and he looked over the various designs one by one, all on slowly yellowing parchment. Each invention was more fantastic than the last. A scepter formed into some kind of symbol, a flying machine of some kind, a great iron airship...each of them stamped with what must have been Eliphas's family crest, a faint _fleur-de-lis_. The last design of them all was the most interesting - its name wasn't something Jarvis recognized.

 _Magearna_.

What was Magearna? Was it the mysterious energy source? And more than that, the pink _fleur-de-lis_ seal in particular was enough to shock him out of the designs. This called for independent research, and not just for the kingdom, although that was still important. Puzzles within puzzles. Translating Eliphas's journals from Middle Azothian would be a good start, as well as finding out what became of those designs, especially Magearna. If Magearna was Eliphas's energy source...

"Thank you, Your Honor. I'll be borrowing these papers for a few weeks - there's something I think could help us." Jarvis tucked the brown box under one arm after making sure that the papers were all in place. He hoped that the King didn't notice him almost rushing out of the Royal Library. His Majesty was in his early sixties, but still sharp.

Once out from the King's eye, he straightened and made his way to his private study, trying not to let his excitement show. He had a lot of work to do, and the sooner he started the better.

To begin with, why did Eliphas's private papers from five hundred years ago carry the Sakuro family crest?


	3. The Opening Move

So far, Diancie didn't think much of travelling, between the long hours and Dace's constant orders. Movement was slow, they had no idea where they were going, and even Merrick didn't know where the Nebel Plateau actually was. Dace absolutely refused to ask local Pokémon for directions. They spent the first couple of nights hidden in crevices or between trees, where Merrick explained what he knew about Volcanion and the Plateau. Diancie liked storytelling. It was the closest she had ever come to exploring the world beyond the Diamond Domain.

To be honest, Merrick's stories were better than Dace's. Dace's stories were always predictable warnings about how scary the world outside the Domain was. Merrick had more excitement to him - she didn't know that he had met Volcanion, for example. One night, as the clan settled down in a quiet forest, she asked him who Volcanion was and why he lived alone. She knew stories about ancient Pokémon gods like Xerneas and Yveltal, but had never met one.

Merrick's blue eyes dulled as he thought back. "The people and Pokémon of Kalos call Volcanion 'the God of the Mountains', and they say that he was there before the mountains themselves were born. He was the one who helped form Southern Kalos into the way it is in modern times. He protects the Pokémon of the Plateau from humans. The vast majority of them were abandoned or injured by their owners, got lost, or otherwise don't have a home to return to. For the most part he sticks to his own territory and defends its borders. There was only one time the God of the Mountains deliberately crossed paths with a human city, and that was roughly four hundred years ago. Far to the south there was a land called the Azoth Kingdom. It exists today, but as a shadow of its former glories, a stop for human tourists. At its prime it was a great empire which ruled over Southern Kalos, rivaled only by the two brothers who controlled the north. Its power was maintained by a mechanical Pokémon named Magearna, who the people there created for that purpose."

Diancie blinked, confused. "Magearna was made by humans?"

"That isn't as strange as you think it is. Many Pokémon species were made by people rather than born - Porygon, Golett, Baltoy. What made Magearna different was that she was kept in the city, locked in a great tower and forbidden to leave. One of Volcanion's Pokémon spies found her in the tower and reported the news back to him. Volcanion thought that the Azothians' behavior was cruel, so he came to the city at night, entered the tower, and stole Magearna away. Magearna's creator was long dead and Magearna herself forgotten about, so the Azothians never knew what happened. Volcanion took Magearna into the Plateau, made her almost a surrogate daughter to him, and it is said that he never forgave the people of the Azoth Kingdom for their cruelty. Over the centuries, that bitterness turned into a hatred of all humankind."

"You met Volcanion?" asked Allotrope. "Or Magearna? What were they like?"

"Magearna was the one who told me the story. She can't speak, but she has her ways of saying what she needs to. She loved him, and insisted to Lord Volcanion that he hadn't locked her in the tower. Eliphas. That was his name. Magearna was already there when I came to the Plateau, and I...preferred her of the two. My Trainer abandoned me by mistake." Merrick sighed. "Volcanion didn't believe me that it was an accident. He is kind to the Plateau's people, but ruthless toward human intruders. It is said that no human who sets foot on the Nebel Plateau will ever leave again. _Especially_ an Azothian."

Diancie fell quiet, not sure what to say. Volcanion sounded more than a little frightening, even if he had saved Magearna four hundred years ago. Dace feared humans, but he would never kill one as Merrick implied Volcanion had done. All the same, what the Azothians had done to Magearna did sound cruel; she couldn't imagine creating a living creature only to lock it up as a power source. Taking Magearna away from them sounded like the right thing to do.

Merrick seemed to catch on. "We are wild Pokémon, so we have nothing to worry about. Of course Lady Magearna will hear us out. It's Lord Volcanion I'm a little worried about. We have some history together."

"I hope so," said Dace. "I still think this is a dangerous plan, Merrick. I'm only going along with it because it's the only hope we do have."

"To be honest, it's much the same for me. I left the Plateau for much the same reasons why Lady Diancie wanted to leave home. Lord Volcanion wasn't a bad sort, but could be very domineering. Nobody was allowed to leave his territory under any circumstances, for fear that poachers would find us when he wasn't around to protect it. The Pokémon who live there are a nervous lot, not easy to make friends with. I wanted to find my old Trainer, so I ran away. Instead, I found Dace and the Carbink clan who would eventually move to the Diamond Domain."

Diancie shuddered. She hadn't expected the great God of the Mountains to sound like such a monster. "Volcanion sounds mean."

"He isn't mean, not really. He's...complicated. He has his reasons, maybe not _good_ ones, but they're there. Maybe you'll like him more than I did. But I wouldn't mind seeing the Lady Magearna again. She's a good influence on him, I think, and I know you'll like her. She's very kind for someone who's been through the things she has. She isn't even angry at the Azothians, for what that's worth."

Dace broke up the conversation. "Now, now, Merrick. That's enough storytelling. Lady Diancie needs rest for the journey ahead of us." Merrick nodded and gestured to a patch of grass with one ear.

As Diancie tried to settle into the undergrowth for the night, her entourage finding their own spots, she saw a light green creature moving among the grasses. It looked up briefly, its one big eye open. She waved to say hello, but it already disappeared before she could say a word.

* * *

"Mr. Sakuro? Sir?"

"Aah!" Jarvis looked up from his work desk, Eliphas's papers beside him, and covered his eyes from the light. He had no idea how long he had been asleep. Turning to see a gardener behind him, he noticed with dismay that the sky behind his study's windows was bright and blue. _Not again_. _I could have sworn I set an alarm..._ "How long was I asleep for?"

The gardener curtsied, revealing a basket of ripe Pecha Berries and placing them on the desk. "You didn't touch your dinner last night, sir, and it's one in the afternoon. I didn't want to disturb you, since I know what you're working on is important, but I picked these this morning for your breakfast. Hope your studies are going well."

Jarvis hadn't meant to miss dinner, but he had a habit of becoming absorbed in his work, and even more so since he'd been set on the energy crisis assignment. He was lucky to have a meal a day. He hadn't even realized he was hungry before seeing the berries on his desk. His servants were remarkably tolerant of his eccentricities, all things considered.

"Thank you." Jarvis nodded, dismissing the gardener. She returned to the garden with another curtsy and a meek "Thank you, sir".

Even he had to admit that he'd done it this time. The gardener had done him a tremendous favor. He was due to meet with the Princess Chymia to discuss the results of his research at four o'clock. The King had stressed that he try and mend his relationship with His Majesty's daughter. The King had suddenly fallen very ill, and given Chymia's age Jarvis would likely be assigned regent if he died. He didn't look forward to that.

Jarvis, as a general rule, was wary around the King's two children. They made messes in the palace, were a constant source of distraction, and made off with valuable materials when he wasn't looking. However, if he had to pick one of them to work with, he preferred Prince Racel. While he could be a brat, as any spoonfed boy would be at seven years old, Racel's studiousness and hard work at his best reminded Jarvis a little of himself at that age. Racel seemed to admire him, and on His Majesty's orders Jarvis was the one who taught him how to read and write, instructed him in his duties as an Azothian Prince, and educated him in court etiquette. Princess Chymia, on the other hand, was...a bit of a handful. She didn't like taking orders from anyone, least of all her father's Chief Minister, and the two butted heads enough already.

He blamed their personalities. Jarvis was a politician through and through, making compromises, sizing up possible alliances, always considering the consequences before he made a decision. Chymia didn't care what anyone thought. She did things her way, when she wanted, consequences and responsibilities be darned. Not altogether unusual for a teenager, but not very good for a future Queen of the Azoth Kingdom. Being Chief Minister taught Jarvis how to deal with difficult people, but even he wasn't sure if he could handle a possible Queen Chymia until she grew up.

She once accused him to his face of brainwashing her brother. Jarvis hadn't bothered to deny the charges, or explain to her that he was acting as Racel's tutor on her father's orders. He didn't care what the princess or anyone else thought of him. He didn't care whether she trusted him or not. Part of him almost preferred Chymia's brashness to the backbiting whispers of the royal cabinet. He'd been called worse things in his time - his rivals back in the old days liked to mock him with a famous Azothian fable about a jealous Murkrow who pretended to be a Swanna using stolen feathers. He didn't see the insult. Murkrow were smart Pokémon, not beautiful, and he knew which he preferred to be.

Picking a handful of Pecha Berries from the basket, Jarvis ate them one at a time, trying to relax. Long work hours aside, he really needed to stop missing meals. It was probably affecting his work habits, since even he had trouble staying awake on an empty stomach. He found his glasses on the desk, fastening them on. He wasn't badly nearsighted, but he wore them in public, when reading, and in situations where he needed to see well. They were of his own design - handcrafted from orange tinted glass and brown leather goggles, made for appearances as much as function. He could see from behind them without issues, but they hid his own eyes like a mask. It wouldn't do for the Azothian Cabinet Minister to be seen tripping over his own two feet, and as a politician it was important to maintain a sense of decorum at all times, never a trace of uncertainty or fear.

But the designs were worth every second! Eliphas was a fascinating man, and to have some glimpse into how his mind worked was an experience in and of itself. Jarvis made notes of the inventions that interested him most - he would ask General Ether what happened to the iron battleship. The records revealed that it was named the _Tetsutori_ and given to the Azothian military leadership. The same could be said for the smaller flying-machine - while unarmed, it was originally built for scouting rather than civilian use. And then there was a magnificent glider, modeled after a Zubat's wings. Eliphas put weeks into his work, judging from the sheer amount of detail poured into the designs. It almost felt like Jarvis was looking back five hundred years ago to the time of Eliphas himself, when the Azoth Kingdom was one of Kalos's greatest empires, admired and feared by its neighbors, rather than a curiosity for tourists.

Jarvis had only met General Ether a couple of times, generally in ceremonial situations. His impression of her wasn't positive. She was a bitter woman, fully aware that her position as head of the Azothian army meant nothing in modern times and waiting for the King or the cabinet to strip her of what little power she had left. Jarvis, as an advocate for modernization, was not someone she especially liked or respected, a rival at best. She thought of him as a cringing toady of the King. However, he had to admit that no one matched her for knowledge of the ins and outs of the kingdom's weapons, many of which she still had access to. Her right-hand man, Guard Captain Doga, was more reliable if a bit of a brute.

But Magearna remained the most interesting of all. Now Jarvis was utterly convinced that the creature was the legendary energy source that Eliphas created for the Azoth Kingdom, and what happened to it was the next question. If it was outside of the kingdom, they would have to retrieve it, and he had no idea of where to look. The Azoth Kingdom, following the isolationist policies of generations of kings, wasn't exactly in contact with its neighbors. Jarvis would have advised His Majesty against it, especially given the energy crisis at their door, but tradition was tradition, even if the tradition was stupid.

His Majesty, frankly, had no idea what to do. The King was old and set in his ways, and if things carried on as they were the Azoth Kingdom would stagnate and die just like the gears which powered it. Jarvis couldn't let that happen. Azothian blood ran in his veins as well as the royal family's. When he took his place as Cabinet Minister he swore an oath to do his utmost as the King's right hand and as a servant of the state. They couldn't say Jarvis hadn't made sacrifices. He had served for thirty years in various positions in the royal court, starting as the personal clerk to a particularly lazy cabinet member. He had no time for much else _but_ work. When his parents died, he, their only child, was too busy even to attend their funerals. The most he could do was cry alone in his study from grief and guilt, even Kage, then a Haunter, hard-pressed to console him. He had struggled in the face of an apathetic monarchy and a hostile cabinet to get something of his ideas through. He wasn't one to pass up an opportunity.

If he found Magearna and saved the kingdom, he would carry a great deal more influence among the Azothian people. The cabinet would finally take him and his plans seriously. Being king didn't appeal to him - he disdained the idea of power without working for it, and he didn't have a family of his own after his parents' deaths - but he did have a few changes that he would make if he was in charge of things. To begin with, his modernized Azoth Kingdom would have no place for the royal family. It was nothing against the Prince and Princess personally, but neither one had the personality or experience for leadership. He might have been able to rule through Prince Racel, who trusted him and might listen to his ideas, but Chymia was the heir. He respected the old king enough that he would wait until he died before making his move. For all his misgivings about the old man, he was the reason Jarvis was Cabinet Minister today.

His research, both using the journals and a genealogy from the library, confirmed another suspicion. Eliphas, whose family crest was the pink _fleur-de-lis_ , had children, and one of his descendants was a man who Jarvis recognized as his own great-great-grandfather. Jarvis Sakuro, cabinet minister of the Azoth Kingdom, was a direct descendant of Eliphas, possibly the only one left. Eliphas made it clear in his journal that his papers were meant to be the property of his sons, not the Crown. Jarvis and his ancestors had been robbed. The designs and Magearna by extension were his to claim by birthright. The sheer irony of the situation made him laugh. Five hundred years ago, Eliphas had saved the Azoth Kingdom. Now his descendant would finish the job.

He found the page in Eliphas's journal where he left off, checking its title and mentally translating the Middle Azothian. _Notes on Synchro Mega Evolution_. It was connected to the mysterious helix-shaped staff among the designs - Jarvis recognized the Mega Evolution symbol when he saw it. Chymia's shiny Gardevoir could Mega Evolve, as could Kage.

_15XX, April 15th_

_Carried out an initial experiment on a Pinsir, an Ampharos, and a Houndoom. All three Pokémon were able to maintain a Mega Evolved state for fifteen minutes before it wore off. The Pokemon seemed unusually tired after the forced evolution. Fortunately they recovered, but they showed intense fear of me afterwards, even Ampharos, who I hand-raised from an egg myself. Observing its effect on the Pokémon themselves, it seemed to cause them severe and visible distress. But after my initial test the following is now clear._

_If the proper kind of energy is applied and reinforced through the Mega Stone at the center of the staff, I believe that the traditional limitations of Mega Evolution will no longer apply. In normal circumstances Mega Evolution requires a uniquely powerful bond between Trainer and Pokémon, and only one Pokémon can be in this state at a time. With this new process many more Pokémon can Mega Evolve at once, and no bond is necessary. Anyone wielding the altered Mega Stone can force a Mega Evolved state on all Pokémon in the immediate vicinity._

_I call my discovery Synchro Mega Evolution. I would experiment further if it didn't hurt and exhaust the Pokémon so - if it wasn't such a cruel method, it would hold a lot of potential for defense of our realm. After Synchro Mega Evolution wears off, the Pokémon are barely able to move, as if the very life has been sucked out of them. Ampharos may not forgive me for this. The staff has been handed over to the Azothian royal family, who were not informed of its true purpose, and will never be used again. I do not want to subject my Pokémon to such a torturous procedure in the name of science._

Synchro Mega Evolution sounded promising, especially if he was able to iron out the side effects Eliphas was so afraid of. The Azothian military didn't like him, so he would need a bargaining chip for General Ether to even take him seriously, much less accept orders from him. She was always looking for new technology to add to the army's use, and like any good politician he could make a deal with her. First he had to find the staff. It was part of the Royal Collection, and he still had the key His Majesty gave him. In exchange for the secrets of Synchro Mega Evolution, she would give him access to the army's technology - and his ancestor's inventions. He studied the papers well enough to know how to fly them if he had to, but the _Tetsutori_ would need a crew. The smaller flying-machine would be much better. Jarvis wasn't a pilot, but he would learn.

After he met with the Princess Chymia, he would run an initial experiment on Kage, just to make sure the staff still worked. She would understand - the Gengar grew strong under his ownership, and Synchro Mega Evolution would make her even stronger, enough to make up for any pain he caused. That night, he could arrange a secret meeting with General Ether and Captain Doga to gain their support and set his real plans into motion.

* * *

"I can't believe what my father sees in that...that _reptile_." Princess Chymia spat in contempt as she stormed into their bedroom. "Sorry, Racel, I know he's your teacher, but there's something I don't like about him."

Prince Racel sprang off his bed to join her. His Slurpuff, Fuwa, shuffled over and licked her as a greeting. "It's okay, really. Jarvis is trying to do what's best for the kingdom. You'll need to work together one day. My dad wouldn't trust him to help with the energy trouble if he was a bad guy. I think he's just stressed out. He works all the time, you know, especially since Dad got sick."

Racel hadn't been told about the energy crisis, but he knew what was going on well enough. Nothing in the palace happened without him learning about it somehow. He told Chymia he overheard Jarvis and his father talking about it in the library a few days ago; he had technically been outside with Fuwa to visit the kitchens, but the conversation was interesting enough to derail him, and he took advantage of his youth to avoid suspicion. A small, slight boy, he found it easy to duck behind statues and staircases. Jarvis hadn't noticed, anyway - he seemed much more interested in the papers he had with him, and didn't even see Racel hunched beside the door.

Chymia was old enough that the innocent act wouldn't work nearly as well, but Racel gave her any information he picked up. He meant well, but Chymia suspected that her brother was a little naive, especially when Jarvis was concerned. She just didn't trust him. Maybe it was the way he tried to ingratiate himself with her brother, or the way he always had her father's ear, or even just the cunning she could see at work behind those orange glasses of his. Something felt off about him, and his good manners dripped with slime.

"I hope Dad gets better. The thought of having to work with that creep on anything makes me feel sick."

Before Racel could reply, they heard footsteps outside the door. Racel rushed to check who was there through the keyhole and gestured for his sister and Fuwa to be quiet. "It's Jarvis, and there's somebody with him. Can't tell who, but it's a woman, and not one of the servants."

"What are they saying?"

Racel put his ear to the hole. "No idea. Something about evolution? She doesn't sound too happy with him."

"Sounds like General Ether. They can't stand each other. Why's he talking to her?" Chymia joined her brother and took a turn listening in, only to hear the voices becoming fainter. One was definitely Jarvis. She knew that snivel anywhere. She had only met Ether a few times, at public events with her father, but the general's harsh attitude was unwelcoming to say the least. That was the one thing she and Jarvis both agreed on - for someone to be unpleasant enough to put even  _him_ off was an achievement. "Don't think they heard us. They must be moving away. I don't like this." She didn't say it, but what Ether and Jarvis were talking about had to be something sneaky if the two of them weren't willing to discuss it in the open.

"Why?"

Chymia urged Racel to be quiet. "Come with me. It's time we find out what he's up to." First checking that Ether and Jarvis weren't nearby, she opened the door as quietly as possible and led a hesitant Racel out. "If it's nothing, we'll go back to bed."

Racel nodded, stuffing a journal and pen into his robes. For a moment, Chymia thought she saw a rolled-up parchment in the inside pocket of his coat. "For notes," he said, pulling it close before she could ask what it was. He recalled Fuwa into a Poké Ball and fixed it to his belt. "Sorry, Fuwa. We have to be quiet. Are you sure this won't get us in trouble, sis?"

"As long as they don't see us." Chymia gave a jerking nod of her own and led him down the corridor, following the sound of arguing to a nearby door. She looked in through a keyhole to see three people in a sparsely decorated room, one immediately recognizable by his brown uniform and lanky figure as Minister Jarvis himself, carrying an oddly-shaped scepter. He was accompanied by two more people, neither in an especially good mood. A huge, rugged man wearing the uniform of a Royal Guardsman stood at the far corner, messing with a fleck of paint on the wall. Chymia recognized him as Doga, the Royal Guard Captain. General Ether was facing Jarvis directly. She was a wiry, well-muscled, and tough woman, and even Jarvis seemed nervous in the face of her famous temper. Of course, he wouldn't show it, and it was hard to read his emotions beneath his glasses, but the wringing fingers and pacing around the room gave him away.

"I already told you, Ether, we don't do anything until I give the word. It'll be much easier for us to make our move once I've secured general control of the Kingdom's resources and gotten the Azothian people on our side. Remember, we are reformers, not conquerors."

_I knew it. I knew he was up to no good. Father will never believe us..._

"What about the kids?" Doga asked. "The girl's gonna be Queen when the old man croaks. What do we do about them?"

"Yes, what about them? I was thinking we banish them outside the Kingdom or strip them of their positions." Racel, who was there to hear what Jarvis said, stifled a gasp. "Our plans only require that we remove the royal family from power. Let them earn their keep like the rest of us."

"That's it? We banish them? I always knew you had a soft spot for those two brats. Especially the boy." Ether sniffed in disgust. "There I was, Sakuro, thinking you'd finally grown something of a spine. I should have known better, of course."

Jarvis confronted her, voice low. "They're only _children_ , Ether."

" _And_ in our way. So you're willing to seize power but not to do what we need to in order to keep it? You could always give the job to us if you're too high-minded to do it yourself." Ether joined Doga in the corner. "Don't worry, the brats won't suffer, if that's what you're worried about."

By this point Racel had gone very pale, all thoughts of his notebook forgotten. Chymia couldn't blame him one bit. She would have taken her brother and left if she didn't want to know what Jarvis and the other two were planning. It was bad, that was for sure, and from the sound of what she said Ether was even worse. She still didn't know what the staff was there for. It wasn't the royal scepter, but judging from the intricate carvings it was one of a kind. The Mega Evolution symbol carved into its top caught her attention. Embedded into it was a gleaming Key Stone - Chymia recognized it immediately. She used one herself to Mega Evolve her Gardevoir. She knew Jarvis had a shiny Gengar, probably the only thing he seemed to care for, but she didn't know he had a Key Stone for it. They weren't easy to find.

"Be patient, General. If the children disappear, as you suggest, we'll be the prime suspects, especially if we try and take power immediately after the king is dead. What we plan to do is high treason already. If we're found out we'll be exiled from the kingdom or jailed for life or worse. We do _not_ need murder charges added to that."

"He has a point," said Doga after a moment.

Ether jabbed him in the side. "Shut it. Whose side are you on? Anyway, Sakuro, you said you had a demonstration for us. We're here. This had better be worth it."

"Ah. Yes. The demonstration. I have been reading through the journals of my ancestor, the great Azothian scientist and inventor Eliphas, master of Mystery Science five hundred years ago. He developed a way to streamline the process of Mega Evolution. Both of you have Pokémon of your own with you, I assume?" Both Doga and Ether nodded. "Good."

"Quit with the magic tricks and get on with it," Doga said with a grunt. "We don't have all night."

"This is science, Doga, not magic." Jarvis drew a Poké Ball from one of the pockets in his coat, releasing his shiny Gengar into the room. It stood attentively beside him, waiting for orders. "Mystery Science, to be exact. In normal circumstances, Mega Evolution requires a powerful natural bond between human and Pokémon. Kage and I have been partners for long enough that we can pull it off by ourselves. But Eliphas discovered a better way - Synchro Mega Evolution, a way for multiple Pokémon to Mega Evolve at once, without the need for a bond with a specific Trainer. Both of you, show me a Pokémon who can Mega Evolve."

Ether released a large blue Salamence, and Doga a nasty-looking Glalie. Both Pokémon took a stance beside their respective Trainers. Even Chymia and Racel could hear a growl deep in the Salamence's throat.

"Before I agree to let you do this," Ether asked, "what are you going to do to Tatara? If you hurt her-"

"Your Pokémon will be quite all right. As I said, this is only a demonstration to show you that Synchro Mega Evolution works. These Pokémon are bonded to you as Kage is to me, am I right? If I gave them orders, or tried to make them Mega Evolve, they would ignore me." Jarvis slammed the staff on the ground and it began to glow with a sickly purple light. Chymia covered her eyes. "Now stand back and watch!"

The purple light absorbed all three Pokémon, who seemed to bend over in agony. Kage almost doubled over, the Glalie grimaced, and Tatara gave a roar of pain. Ether looked just about ready to throttle Jarvis as Doga held her back. Behind the light, their shapes began to change. Moments later, the light faded to reveal three fearsome-looking Mega Evolved Pokémon. Tatara was considerably slimmer and her wings wider, the Glalie's jaw hung open in a toothy gape, and Kage stood on all fours, a vivid white color. All of them had an eerie purple glow in their eyes.

"Tatara!" Jarvis commanded the Mega Salamence by name, and she snarled. "As you can see, all three Pokémon are now firmly under my control. If I ordered them to attack, they would do it. For all intents and purposes, I am their Trainer until the transformation wears off. Do feel free to recall them - the effect doesn't extend that far, and will wear off given time."

Taking back her Pokémon, Ether looked both appalled and fascinated. "Well, I'll be. You weren't bluffing, Sakuro. Just this once I'm impressed. Tell you what. Fix us up with some of those fancy stones of yours and we'll show you the place where we keep the big guns. The _Tetsutori_ 's moored up there - it's technically not supposed to be for civilian use, and I believe you qualify as a civilian. We _might_ be able to allow an expedition with official military supervision. That means _we_  officially give the orders, _not_ you."

"I don't need the _Tetsutori_. The smaller flying-machine - the _Hinotama,_ I believe - will suit my needs just fine. It's faster and I won't need a crew. We'll rig it up next afternoon."

"What do you need it for, anyway?" Doga asked. "Never thought you were much of an outdoorsy type. Staying in your room all day finally got to you?"

Jarvis pointedly ignored Doga's remark. "During my research, I found the energy source we need to save the Azoth Kingdom in Eliphas's papers. It's a creature named Magearna, a sort of mechanical Pokémon my ancestor built five hundred years ago for the city. According to Eliphas, its power source, the Soul Heart, is in its chest. This Soul Heart has the power to restore our kingdom's energy. Once I find Magearna, take its Soul Heart, and bring it back to the Azoth Kingdom, _that's_ when we make our move. Not before, not after. Leave the rest to me. I persuaded His Majesty to let me give a public address to the Azothian people tomorrow, and I have a great deal to say."

Ether's expression turned back to skepticism. "Do you have any idea where to look? Are you sure this thing even _exists_? We don't care if you're Eliphas himself reincarnated, we aren't about to waste valuable government technology on a wild Ducklett chase. And remember, if this plan of yours fails and we get caught, this was _your_ idea."

"Magearna exists. The documents from the Royal Collection prove it. I've made copies of Eliphas's original plans. We know what we're looking for and, given my research, I doubt it's left Southern Kalos..."

"We can beat them to it," Racel whispered, drawing Chymia from the conversation. "I know where the planes are kept. Dad showed me once. We go to the hangar, find the _Hinotama_ , and fly out of the Azoth Kingdom before they even know we're missing. We just have to find this Magearna thingie before they do. You can pilot. You've used flying-machines before, right, sis?"

Chymia agreed, but reluctantly. It wasn't safe for them to stay in the Azoth Kingdom until they exposed Jarvis and his co-conspirators as traitors, and in any case finding Magearna first would throw a wrench in their plan. "Nothing like this, but we don't have much choice. It's not safe in the palace with those three sneaking about. But how do you know we won't have the same problem they do?"

"Already taken care of. I went to Jarvis's study when he was meeting with you and 'borrowed' this to look at. I wanted to see what he was acting weird about. I was going to put it back before he saw, but now I don't think so." Racel showed Chymia the rolled-up parchment, a grin on his face. "The _old_ design plans for Magearna. So, what do you say we get going before they finish their meeting?"


	4. Closing Ranks

Before they left the palace, Chymia and Racel swapped into more ordinary-looking clothes to wear in place of their usual robes. Racel thought the whole thing was very exciting, shoving his notebook, some of his textbooks, and several pairs of spare clothes into a brown satchel. Chymia made sure the Magearna parchment was safe, filling her own satchel with spare clothes of her own, a map of Kalos torn from one of Racel's geography textbooks, some spare food from Racel's snack stash, and general necessities for travel. Both of them decided to take their Pokémon along as protection, and in Racel's case because he didn't have the heart to leave Fuwa behind. Besides, he explained, Fuwa's sense of smell might help them. Fuwa stood beside him as he slung the satchel over his shoulder, his expression confused.

Chymia wasn't surprised - Racel and Fuwa were near inseparable, ever since Racel first received him as a gift from his father, the King. Of course, Fuwa was only a Swirlix back then. Chymia's own Pokémon - a shiny Gardevoir nicknamed Shugo - spent most of her time in a Poké Ball. Chymia cared for Shugo, and the Gardevoir was a brave fighter, but their relationship was more distant than Racel's and Fuwa's. The Slurpuff's plump body made an excellent pillow, and Fuwa was a menace to the palace kitchens, bringing back tasty treats to share with his trainer. The two were blamed whenever cookies or biscuits disappeared.

Part of the reason why they were so close was probably because Racel had relatively little interaction with the King, who was away so often that he handed over most of his son's learning to Jarvis. Even at the beginning Chymia was fairly certain that Jarvis, as sly as any politician, didn't have her little brother's best interests at heart. He brushed her off when she accused him of taking advantage of Racel's trusting nature and young age. For his part, Racel didn't take the truth about his tutor too harshly, at least not yet.

Working their way through the streets wasn't too difficult, between dodging the night watch and creeping along ancient roads. They knew they reached the hangar when they saw the vast shadow of the _Tetsutori_ on the roof, blotting out the moonlight with its sheer size. Its iron plating gleamed, all armor and sharp edges. Racel commanded Fuwa to use Gastro Acid, burning a hole through the hangar's steel door large enough for them to crawl through. Chymia wouldn't have wanted their escape to be so obvious, but they didn't have much time, and Jarvis wasn't stupid. He would probably figure out that they ran away even if they didn't make a mess, and they wanted to be as far from the Kingdom as possible when he did.

Chymia's own personal flying-machine wouldn't work, since it was only designed for one pilot and there was no way she would leave Racel behind. If they stole the _Hinotama_ for their own use, that would leave the larger ship for Jarvis and his lackeys. Looking at it, they could see why he had wanted to use the smaller flying-machine. The _Tetsutori_ was a defensive ship, not designed for speed. It would take him some time to make any progress with it between gathering a crew large enough to man it and the airship's sheer bulk. Knowing him, Jarvis probably would have preferred to cover as much ground as possible and with as little help as he could manage. He didn't seem to like teaming up with Doga and especially Ether. Even during the conversation she overheard Chymia could guess that it was more an alliance for convenience than anything else, judging from how the other two treated Jarvis.

Chymia led Racel through the hole, letting her brother find the flying-machine while she took care of arranging their getaway. She sent out Shugo, asking her to use her psychic abilities to open the door for them. The Gardevoir nodded, her eyes glowing a bright blue as the metal doors began to slide open with a faint screech, luckily not getting anyone's attention. Most of the guards must have been asleep. After the job was done, Chymia thanked her and recalled Shugo back into her Poké Ball. As the Gardevoir disappeared, Racel ran over and poked his sister on the shoulder, guiding her to the _Hinotama_ as Fuwa followed along behind.

"No one's touched it. We still have time, but we have to hurry - we don't want to be here when Jarvis and his people find out we stole it." Fuwa made a gurgling sound. "Oh, all right, Fuwa. You want to fly too, huh?" The Slurpuff nodded, his bright red tongue lolling. Racel paused for a moment, thinking. "Okay. You can stay out of your Poké Ball and come with us, but you've gotta promise to be quiet."

The _Hinotama_ was a dark red flying-machine, nowhere near as large as the _Tetsutori_ and built for speed rather than comfort. Its wings were folded in to make storage easier. There was enough space for two passengers at the front of the machine - herself and Racel. She clambered up a metal ladder and into the pilot's seat, offering a hand to help Racel as he made his way up.

Racel took it and settled down beside his sister, Fuwa joining them and licking Racel's cheek. A flick of a switch pulled up a thick protective window. The Slurpuff didn't seem to realize the seriousness of the situation, grinning up at his trainer with a cheerful smile. The Pokémon's innocent excitement seemed infectious. Chymia saw Racel grin as he buckled himself into a seat beside her.

"So, what's the plan, sis?"

Chymia snapped her own belt shut, pulling a lever labelled WINGS. The folded red wings of the _Hinotama_ unfolded with a shriek, making the flying-machine look much more like an airplane. She grit her teeth. She had flown flying-machines much like this one. She could do this. All she had to do was focus on the controls. Once they were out of the hangar and in the sky, this would be a lot easier. "First, we get out of the Azoth Kingdom. Jarvis said that he thinks Magearna's in Southern Kalos, so that's where we'll go. We'll find a place to land once we're some distance away, then decide what to do next."

As Racel gasped in wonder, she slammed her foot down on a pedal. Like most Azothian technology, the _Hinotama_ was powered by Mystery Science, clean energy. The flying-machine's power source was located in the four glowing blue cylinder-shaped engines at its base. Both of the Azothian army's flying-machines, which were rarely used in modern times, hadn't succumbed to the energy crisis and had plenty of fuel left. This worked in the favor of both Chymia and Jarvis - the _Tetsutori_ 's fuel source was much bigger than the comparatively puny _Hinotama_. Nevertheless, Chymia and Racel had the advantage on speed and distance, while Jarvis and his lackeys had endurance and manpower. When it came to a race, speed counted for a lot. They had a good head start, especially if Jarvis delayed things to try and gain popular support for his scheme.

It would definitely undercut all of his posturing if the royal family he planned to disinherit returned in triumph with Magearna. She couldn't wait to see the look on his face when she and Racel took credit for saving the Azoth Kingdom and exposed him for what he really was. The closest he'd ever get to the throne would be a comfortable spot in the royal dungeons.

"Sounds good by me." Racel rubbed Fuwa's head as the plane took off, listening to the Slurpuff's happy purrs. "I'm still a little worried about this. I mean, we're the prince and princess of the Azoth Kingdom. You're next in line to the throne. We'll be missed."

Chymia worked the controls, guiding the _Hinotama_ off of the runway and into the air. Racel shuddered as it rattled on the ground for a single frightening moment, gripping Fuwa for comfort. She waited until they were in a proper position in the air before answering. "I wouldn't count on Jarvis and those two to go looking for us. Knowing him, he'll find some way to exploit this. Meanwhile, we can choose false names to travel under. Those and the disguises should help."

Racel paused, thinking up a good one. "Klaus Brand." He continued to explain, partly to show off his knowledge. "Nicolas Brand was the Azothian Cabinet Minister five hundred years ago, back when Eliphas was alive. He was the one who worked with Eliphas and the King back then, our ancestor, to save the city. A big patron of the arts and sciences, too. Jarvis had a painting of him in his office." Chymia would have discouraged obviously false names, and Nicolas Brand was a major figure in the Kingdom's history, but it would do if they were only passing through a town for food and lodging. The Azoth Kingdom was relatively isolated from the rest of Kalos, maintaining its political and cultural independence through a deal made between the Kalosian and Azothian monarchies far back in the seventeenth century.

"That'll be good enough, at least for now. I'll come up with one of my own once we've landed. I have to concentrate on flying right now - this is tricky and I don't know the area well." Chymia briefly looked out the window to gain some bearings on their location. However tense the situation was, the Azoth Kingdom was beautiful at night, the palace square in the center of the city and surrounded by organized neighborhoods, following Eliphas's original street plans. The streets were empty of both people and Pokémon. Most of the huge gears which normally powered the city had stopped, a grim reminder of the energy crisis threatening them. As dark as Jarvis's plans were, even he seemed intent on putting a stop to that, even if Chymia suspected it was only so that he would have something to _rule_ after his takeover.

After she swerved the flying-machine past the Kingdom's walls, Racel took off his satchel, going somber. "I'm sorry for trusting Jarvis. He taught me so much, and Dad worked with him for years. I never thought he was bad. A little grumpy, sure, but never _bad_."

"Can't say I'm surprised," Chymia said. "The man was always a sneaky piece of work. Dad shouldn't have used a politician to play babysitter, and he shouldn't have been allowed anywhere near you from the start. I'm sorry this happened for your sake. I know you looked up to him, but it's better that we found out the truth before it was too late."

Racel nodded, a glum expression on his face. Chymia didn't like seeing her little brother so upset, and decided that they would do some exploring in the forest once they landed to get his spirits back up. First they'd have some of the biscuits they packed for breakfast. A short journey would be good for getting a bearing on where they were and searching out any towns or cities nearby. As members of a powerful royal family, money wouldn't be a problem, but for the sake of their disguise they wouldn't flaunt it. They would only use their fortune to restock on food and water when necessary, as well as a few treats for Racel. Like any little boy, he had a sweet tooth. 

"I still don't think he was as bad as the other two. The lady, General Ether, wanted to _kill us_. You heard her. Whatever else, he didn't want any of that."

"That may be true, but I think he would have looked the other way if we had an 'accident'." Chymia wouldn't have put it past Ether to slip poison in their drinks one day, even with Jarvis's ostensible disapproval. She doubted whatever moral qualms he had over blood on his hands were stronger than his thirst for power. "I'd rather not think about him, to be honest."

Agreeing with a nod, Racel reached into his satchel, pulling out two cookies. He kept one for himself and handed the other to Fuwa, who greedily snapped it up and begged for more. "You must be hungry, huh? Me, too." He broke his own cookie in half and gave one to the Slurpuff. "You know, we might as well try to have a little fun out here. I haven't been outside the Kingdom much. Dad always said I was too young to go exploring."

"Just leave enough snacks for when we land." Chymia brushed her fingers across a keyboard, pulling up an electric blue holographic map. Their location was visible through a red flashing dot. "From the look of things, there's a forest clearing about fifteen minutes away. Once I take us in to land there, we can rest in the _Hinotama_. In the morning, we'll head into a nearby town to pick up supplies and get more of an idea of where we are."

Racel yawned. "If it's okay with you, sis, I'll try and get to sleep now. You know, long day. Also, it _was_  supposed to be our bedtime before the whole discovering-an-evil-plot thing cut that short." 

As Racel started snoring, Chymia worked the controls, pulling down the map and directing the _Hinotama_ to the open clearing. She was just relieved to have made it out of the Kingdom safely. In the morning, they could work on finding Magearna. As for Jarvis, he would probably have his own problems to deal with come dawn.

Far below, in the trees, a small green creature with one big eye saw the red plane coming in to land. It disappeared into the undergrowth, turning itself invisible as it followed. It was rare for people from the city to visit the forest. It would need to observe the strangers for a while, to see if they meant any harm and learn why they were there. There were a lot of strangers appearing in its territory recently. More investigation was called for.

* * *

 "Well, this is a complete disaster. I'm due to give my speech in half an hour,  we're well behind schedule, and both Racel and Chymia have disappeared." Jarvis walked back and forth, Ether and Doga watching him. "Not only that, from the look of things they took the _Hinotama_. We were outsmarted by _children_." He gestured to the space in the hangar where the red flying-machine had been. "Our plans are off to a good start. What am I going to _say_ to His Majesty?"

"Thought you'd like that," Doga replied. The Royal Guard Captain wore a purple-and-black military uniform, a ceremonial sword buckled to his side. "The kids are gone and we didn't even have to do anything. Besides, last I heard the old man's dying. It would be kinder not to tell him they ran away. Chymia's always wandering off. We can just say she took her brother with her this time. _We_ didn't hurt them. If they never come back, that just makes things easier for us."

"And you were the one going on and on about the blasted thing anyway. I'm willing to bet they heard about it from your mouth, not ours." General Ether sighed, visibly frustrated. "None of this matters in the long term, anyway. We still have the _Tetsutori_. I'll gather together some of my boys to crew it and we can get going after you do whatever else you need to in the Kingdom."

Jarvis gave an annoyed grunt. He didn't like the idea of flying in the _Tetsutori_. It was a magnificent airship and one of Eliphas's finest inventions, but it was big, slow, and needed a lot of manpower to fly. A one-man flight into southern Kalos in the _Hinotama_ would have gotten the job done faster. At least he might be able to arrange for his own private quarters on the larger ship so he could continue his research. There was still plenty of work to do on translating Eliphas's journals and improving Synchro Mega Evolution.

Ether snorted. "I don't get all the waiting around. The King's on his deathbed and his children are missing. I say we forget Magearna and take over now."

Jarvis faced her, trying to hold his anger back. "I remind you that this isn't only about taking over the Azoth Kingdom. We still need Magearna to fix the energy crisis, or our rule will be over before it begins. We also need the people's support to make the transition as smooth as possible. That means we work within the law for as long as we have to. This needs to be handled very carefully, and without playing our hand too early, or we'll lose everything we've worked for. If we don't find the Soul Heart and the energy crisis continues, the Azoth Kingdom will be ruined. Is _that_ what you want, General Ether?"

Ether only scowled. "If you're so smart, Sakuro, why didn't you arrange for the _Hinotama_ to be guarded?"

"What I don't get is how two kids could steal a flying-machine. I gotta admit, I'm kind of impressed." Doga gave a sharp whistle. Jarvis was all too happy to change the subject, turning his back on General Ether.

"Both of them are smart. As frustrating as Chymia can be, she is good with machines, and I wouldn't be surprised if she was the one behind this. As for Racel, I practically raised him. He knows Mystery Science almost as well as I do." Jarvis couldn't help but feel some pride in Racel. For all his ambitions, and for all the prince and his sister were a threat to his plans, he admired the children's ingenuity. He didn't say it, but part of him was a little relieved Prince Racel made it out of the Kingdom safely.

"Looks like you got what you wanted, Sakuro. We don't have to off the brats after all." Ether led the other two out of the hangar as the door shut automatically. "How about you leave setting up the _Tetsutori_ to me and the troops while you put that big mouth of yours to a better use? You said you can get the Azothian people on our side. I know the King thinks you have a good brain. I'd like to see if you're more than just talk."

Before Jarvis could reply, Ether sent out Tatara. The Salamence narrowed her eyes on seeing him, snarling deep in her throat as he backed away and discreetly slipped behind Doga. He remembered what Eliphas described in his journal. It had to be the Synchro Mega Evolution test from the night before - Tatara remembered the man who caused her pain, and didn't know or care about the reasons why. Ether seemed to notice, shooting Jarvis a dark look as she mounted the dragon Pokémon's back. With a flap of red wings, Tatara plunged into the sky and landed on the _Tetsutori_ 's platform.

"What was that all about?" Doga and Jarvis watched Ether dismount, recall her Pokémon, and clamber into the airship. "Tatara looked about ready to tear you apart."

Jarvis swallowed past a lump in his throat, relieved that the Salamence hadn't attacked him in front of Doga and Ether. It was better to be honest - he needed Doga's trust, and Doga was more loyal to his cause than Ether - but it would be hard to make this sound good. "There are...a few issues left to work out with Synchro Mega Evolution. I assure you, I'll fix them, all I need is time, but the process as it stands causes Pokémon severe pain."

"So that's what Ether was so upset about." Doga reflexively grabbed a Poké Ball on his belt. "You mean Yakana...?"

Jarvis nodded, trying not to show the anxiety he felt. He had to pull himself together in time for the public address. "I don't want to be around your Glalie, either, not unless I have Eliphas's staff on me. I didn't think one demonstration would have this dramatic a response, and Kage seemed healthy enough after an initial experiment..."

"What did your Synchro-whatever _do_ to her? Tatara isn't the best tempered Pokémon, sure, but she's never acted like that to a stranger before."

"It's quite simple. I was the one who caused her pain with the Synchro Mega Evolution procedure. She knows that. She's probably afraid I'll do it again." Jarvis turned away, looking back to the palace to calm himself down. He wasn't sorry about what he did to Tatara and Yakana in the demonstration - he hadn't enjoyed hurting the Pokémon and wasn't proud of it, but it was a necessary evil to achieve his goals at the time. "She'll probably forget in a few days, but the Mega Wave technique is too dangerous to use as anything but a last resort until I perfect it. Once it's fixed, I'll provide you and General Ether with Key Stones. A deal's a deal."

Doga joined him, still in a strange mix of awe and revulsion. "I can't believe you made a _Salamence_ angry at you. You have a lot of guts, Mr. Sakuro. It says something about the General's training that Tatara didn't _kill_ you."

"You say that like Ether would have minded if she had." With a dark laugh, Jarvis gave the _Tetsutori_ one last look, Ether's soldiers crawling on the airship, black specks around its sides and hull. "I'd better get used to dealing with her, Captain. I don't have much choice left."

"Come on, it won't be _that_ bad. Being around other people will do you good. You can't just stay cooped up in your study all day."

"Until recently, staying in my study all day was working fine for _me_." Jarvis decided to change the subject - he was starting to bristle, and he didn't want to antagonize his allies. Doga could be annoying, but he wasn't anywhere near as difficult to work with as Ether. "Now, come along. It's almost time to speak at the palace, and I need the Captain of the Royal Guard by my side."

Inside the palace, things were in an uproar, panicking attendants scattered around the main hall. While Doga split up to rejoin the Royal Guard, Jarvis finally cornered one and asked him what was going on. The man was visibly upset, hair bedraggled and face wet, but still managed a bow of respect.

"Mr. Sakuro, sir, you didn't hear the news? His Majesty's dead. Passed away from his illness this morning, he did. May the Lifegiver rest his soul."

"Dead." Jarvis had expected to feel something at the news. Guilt, maybe, or remorse - although he wasn't responsible for His Majesty's sickness and hadn't expected his death to come so soon, he was about to exploit the situation for his own gain. His Majesty saw something special in Jarvis Sakuro, back when he was only a scrawny, bookish young lad in the Azothian outskirts. Then again, the King was dead and his children lost. Somebody had to take charge, and by Azothian law the Cabinet Minister was next in line. "Tell the others to gather in the palace gardens. I have an important speech to make, and I'm not cancelling it for this. Run along, go!" The servant bolted, leaving Jarvis alone to make his own way to the gardens.

There was a teeming crowd when he arrived, both civilians and other kingdom officials. The other members of the royal cabinet, identifiable in their identical brown uniforms, were clustered near the front. Jarvis recognized all of them - Sir Cavendish, Baron Airey, and Lord Faraday, huddled at the center, were the worst offenders, but all of them had gone out of their way to make the new Cabinet Minister feel unwelcome and add to an already stressful job.

Doga and two members of the Royal Guard stood behind Jarvis as he stepped onto a podium, all of them in full ceremonial regalia. Ether was nowhere to be seen. That wasn't a surprise, given her open contempt for the King and Jarvis, too. Her absence spoke volumes. Jarvis fixed his bowtie, tampered with his collar, coughed to clear his throat, and began to speak.

"People of the Azoth Kingdom!" Silence. No cheering, no boos, just dead silence. A Fletchling, surprisingly not scared away by the large crowd, perched on the corner of his podium, head cocked as if listening. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Jarvis Sakuro, Cabinet Minister of the Azoth Kingdom, and I have some important announcements to make as regards the future of our country. First I must address some tragic news. His Majesty the King is dead. He died in his sleep a matter of hours ago. His children disappeared from the palace last night. Until they are found, and they will be found, I am the effective ruler of the Azoth Kingdom by our laws."

Somebody in the audience coughed into her sleeve. Jarvis breathed in, almost feeling the tension in the air. All he had to do was channel it. This was the most difficult part of his speech, but he knew just what to say.

"Secondly, you have been told that the cabinet and I have been working on a solution to the energy crisis that threatens our livelihoods and our homes." That got their attention. "Far be it from me to speak ill of the dead, but His Majesty instructed my colleagues to conceal the truth from you - that there is no known solution to the energy crisis, it is much more severe than you have been officially told, and that in a matter of weeks our power will die completely."

That kicked off a string of boos and jeers from the crowd. Jarvis saw several cabinet members shooting him positively evil glares. Lord Faraday in particular looked furious. It didn't matter - the truth was so damaging that he didn't have to lie. He gestured for silence, the crowd obeying. All according to plan.

"But I defied him. I didn't take no for an answer. After weeks of research, I found our salvation in the past, in the works of the legendary Azothian scientist and engineer Eliphas. The Azoth Kingdom's legendary power source is in the heart of a mechanical Pokémon Eliphas made for us five hundred years ago, Magearna. While it has been lost since his time, I have made plans to find Magearna and bring it back here where it belongs. With its Soul Heart, we can restore energy for ourselves, our families, and for generations to come." He paused, letting the excited crowd digest his words. All things considered, this was going better than expected. He heard a handful of people chanting his name, basking in the admiration until someone interrupted.

"Mr. Sakuro, I'm with the _Azothian Weekly_ ," a journalist coming to the front of the crowd said, notebook and camera with him. Jarvis mentally groaned. He hated dealing with the press - they didn't know when to stay out of important government business. Luckily, he was prepared for a situation like this. "Not that we don't trust you to handle this crisis, sir, but you have a lot of confidence about this. How do you know Magearna isn't just a myth?" At this question, Jarvis whipped out a copy of Magearna's design plans from a pocket in his uniform, unfolding it for them. His goggles shielded his eyes from the camera's glare as the journalist took his photograph.

"Magearna is attested to in Eliphas's papers and other historical sources in the Royal Collection, untouched for almost five hundred years until I rediscovered them. We have a solid lead. Magearna is somewhere in Southern Kalos, most likely not far from our city. I am in the process of translating Eliphas's journal, which may shed further light on its current whereabouts. I have assembled a crew on the _Tetsutori,_ led by myself, Royal Guard Captain Doga, and the brave General Ether, to seek out Magearna and return it to our homeland." He folded it back up to wild cheers. "In my absence, I will entrust management of the Azoth Kingdom to my colleagues on the cabinet. They deserve a chance to redeem themselves." The last sentence came out with a knowing sneer. It felt good to see his old political enemies squirm. He straightened, right hand on his chest, too caught up in the heat of the moment to notice the Fletchling take off from the edge of the podium.

"But I give you my word that my men and I will not return to the city until we have Magearna and its Soul Heart in our possession."

* * *

_The Nebel Plateau_

Volcanion, the great God of the Mountains, gave a loud roar before settling down beside his favorite tree, observing his land and his people with a father's eye. Another Pokémon stood beside him, a gray robotic creature with large metal ears, electric pink eyes, and a bulbous body. Magearna was always a welcome guest under the sacred tree. There was plenty of room and light to spare. The Nebel Plateau was a peaceful place, deliberately founded as a haven for Pokémon who needed one, with fresh Berries to eat and a lake filled by fresh water. Volcanion's subjects were scattered, some relaxing in the sun, others playing in the grass, and still more clustering around Magearna. She brushed a Zigzagoon's head, the Pokémon giving a growl of pleasure.

The peaceful scene was interrupted when a Pidgeotto dove down from the sky, visibly frantic, feathers falling to the ground. She passed a startled Litleo and almost crashed into an Amaura on her haphazard way to Volcanion's tree. Volcanion recognized her immediately, Magearna and the other Plateau Pokémon making space for her to land. 

"What's the news, Spymaster Kaze? Is it poachers again?"

Kaze shook her head, perching in front of Volcanion and giving a bow before folding up her wings. She sounded breathless. "No, worse. One of my agents positioned in the Azoth Kingdom informed me that the humans there are up to something. He saw a huge metal...thing, some kind of flying boat, manned by dozens of them. He says they're after you, Magearna." Magearna gave a startled beep, more from surprise than fright. "One of the humans - I think he was their leader, my spy said he looked important - talked a lot about you. I don't think they know how to find the Plateau, but they'll be searching the area, and there are more humans than I've ever seen before. We'll never be able to fend them all off if they come." 

Volcanion gave a deep growl, rising to his feet. The Pokémon stepped back from fright - all of them knew and feared humans. Magearna gave a series of beeps. _The Azothians? How did they find me? It's been centuries since Volcanion took me away. I thought they had forgotten._

"The Azothians don't know to leave well enough alone, do they? I've dealt with their kind before. If they pick a fight with us, it's their lives they're risking. You don't have to worry, Magearna - I'll never let them take you. I'll deal with them before they so much as set foot on the Plateau. Kaze." The Pidgeotto straightened. "I have a special mission for you. Find this battleship. Follow the humans and let me know if they make any progress. I'd like some inside information on their tricks before I take action. Hunters usually come by land. This kind of thing is new."

"Yes, Lord Volcanion." Kaze bowed again before taking off. 

Volcanion stamped a foot on the ground when the Pidgeotto disappeared, throwing up dust. "Filthy humans! They think everything belongs to them."

Magearna tilted her head.  _But it was an Azothian who created me, and I was born in their city. From their point of view, I_ do _belong to them. This is my fault. I'm the one who's bringing them here._

Volcanion grunted. "Not anymore, you don't. The Azothian people are greedy and selfish. They treated you like a slave when you were under their care. They didn't deserve you. You are a Pokémon, Magearna, like everyone else in the Plateau. You are more than their property. The humans are the only ones to blame, then and now. If the Azothians want to claim you, they'll have me to reckon with. I'll blow their city to rubble if I have to." He narrowed his eyes. "Hundreds of years ago, they feared me as a god. If they dare come, I'll teach them to fear me again."


	5. Counterplay

When morning came, Racel and Chymia emerged from the _Hinotama_ , in clean plainclothes. Racel, clad in a brown vest and hat, pulled off a boyish look well. Seemingly unaffected by the flight, Fuwa shuffled out of the flying-machine and licked his Trainer in the face. Fuwa could recognize Racel no matter what name he went under or which clothes he wore. Racel hugged the Slurpuff warmly. Fuwa purred.

It was nice to have a familiar friend with them, and Racel needed it more than anyone else. As smart as he was, and even though he was a prince, he was still a child dealing with things no child should ever have to. Chymia hoped that when Father got better he would deal with Jarvis for that.

"Got your stuff?" Racel had a bulging satchel slung over one shoulder and a folded map under one arm. He handed it to Chymia. "See anything? There's got to be a town nearby."

"I already scoped out the area. According to the _Hinotama_ 's radar systems, there's a town about thirty miles away. Only a small one, but that's all we need, and it would be better to lay low for now."

"Makes sense." Racel put the map back in the satchel, checking that it was fastened securely. "You chose a false name?"

"Perenelle Brand. It's better if we're open about being siblings. We look too much like each other to fool anyone."

"Nice name, and good point - hey, sis." Racel pointed into the bushes, startled. "I saw something moving in there. Look!" Chymia looked, but didn't see anything besides leaves. Racel wasn't the kind to make things up, though, even in his mischievous moments, and least of all to his sister.

"What was it? Some kind of wild Pokémon?"

"I think so, but it isn't one I know about. Let's see if we can get a closer look." Before Chymia could tell him otherwise, he darted into the bushes in pursuit of the strange creature. For a moment, she saw the grass in front of the bush rustle, as if something was moving. Racel noticed, too, kneeling in front of the invisible creature. "It's okay. I know you're in there. You can come out. We won't hurt you." The air shimmered as something faded into view. It was a small light green blob-like Pokémon, roughly the size and shape of a deflated football, with one big staring eye and a red hexagon on its belly. The green creature tilted its head, looking at them quizzically. Chymia felt a sense of intelligence from its gaze, as if it was staring into them.

"Who are you?" she asked, not sure what she would get as a reply. It only blinked and stood up on its tail.

_We were about to ask you the same thing, humans. We are Zygarde, and this is our forest. You are from the city to the north. Who are you, why are you here, and what do you want?_

Chymia was surprised to hear what had to be the creature's voice in her head. For something so small, its soft voice had a faint rasp to it, as if it was very old. It wasn't hostile, more questioning. She guessed it had telepathic powers of some sort. Judging from his startled reaction, Racel heard it, too, but covered it up to put a brave face in front of the mysterious Pokémon. It was better to be polite - especially since she suspected that it was a nature god of some kind. She knew the legend of the great spirit who protected the forest. "I'm Racel, Prince of the Azoth Kingdom." He indicated Chymia with a hand. "This is my sister Chymia. As for what we're doing in the forest...it's a long story."

Chymia broke into the conversation, guessing that the creature could understand them back. It seemed harmless enough - but it spoke like it was the forest's owner, and telepathy wasn't something just any Pokémon could do. "We promise you we mean your home no harm, Zygarde. We'll be on our way as soon as we get what we need. But we can't go back to the Azoth Kingdom. Right now it's too dangerous."

 _Azothians, eh? We don't see your kind around here very often. The people are usually too afraid to leave the walls of their city - for all their machines and Mystery Science, they're a superstitious lot. You're very brave to come to the forest alone. That's why we chose to appear to you. People can't see or hear us unless we want them to._ Zygarde's figure blurred, and in an instant the little creature disappeared into thin air. In a few moments, it reappeared several inches away.

"You can turn invisible?" Racel gasped, clasping his hands together. "That's amazing! I've never met a Pokémon like you."

Zygarde gave a proud shimmer as it hopped closer. _Thank you. Now, tell us. What are two strange Azothians doing alone in our forest? We knew that's what you were before you told us. You are only children, and the forest can be a dangerous place for little ones. Shouldn't you go back home with your parents where you belong? We can point you there if you would like._

"How do you know where we're from?" Racel asked. "You knew we were from the Azoth Kingdom before I told you."

_We can smell the Azoth Kingdom on you and hear it in your voices. We recognized your flying-machine's make, although we haven't seen it fly for centuries. We have existed for as long as Kalos itself, before the mountains rose and the rivers flowed. We saw your kingdom rise and fall, and watched generations of kings and queens grow and die. There is nothing we have not seen._

Chymia sighed. "We'd like to take your offer, Zygarde, but we can't go home yet. We didn't exactly have a choice. There's trouble back home - our Cabinet Minister and a couple of his cronies are planning a coup. They're looking for something in southern Kalos, something important, and we ran away so we could find it first. They'll almost certainly be coming here, and their intentions are worse than ours."

That seemed to interest Zygarde, judging from the tone of its mind-voice. _Something? What kind of something? The Azothians are an isolated people, they have been for hundreds of years, and I don't know much that could draw so many of them out at once. Except for one thing..._

Racel perked up. "You know what we're looking for? You can help us?"

 _It depends on whether or not it's something which concerns us. Our duty is to protect Kalos and its ecosystem. We do not usually trouble ourselves with wars between humans unless the environment is directly threatened. We take no side. It simply isn't our business to interfere. We were there to see everything from petty border skirmishes to the Great War. But if you're right and these other humans are a more serious threat to our home than you are, then yes, we may be able to help._ Zygarde's voice softened a little. _Also, we do appreciate your honesty and good manners. Whoever taught you taught you well._

Racel bowed before the creature to show respect, Chymia following him. He hadn't been taught how to talk to a creature like Zygarde - Jarvis, a proud skeptic, didn't believe in the Pokémon gods or nature spirits - but he knew how to speak to important people. Hopefully the message would get across. "We didn't mean any trouble. If we hurt something, we're very sorry."

Zygarde cocked its head. _When you landed, you crushed several flowers under your machine. We know it was an accident, but damage through ignorance is almost as bad as damage through malice. But you are sorry, you are young, and that is good enough. Your intentions are good. You didn't do anything we can't fix._

"Zygarde? I have something I'd like to ask." Racel pulled a book labeled _Myths and Legends of Kalos_ from his satchel, flipping through all manner of local legends and Pokémon deities. Xerneas, the Lifebringer, whose touch gave eternal life. Yveltal, the Great Destroyer, who slept deep underneath Kalos and whose waking would end the world. Volcanion, the fearsome God of the Mountains - Chymia remembered seeing an incense box in the palace stylized in Volcanion's distinctive four-footed shape. Her father lit it every year as part of an ancient ceremony to appease the mythical Pokémon, filling the palace's hallways with scented steam. Finally he found a page with the stylized illustration of an enormous green-and-black serpentine Pokémon rearing to strike, nothing like the tiny creature sitting in front of them. He showed it to Zygarde. "This is you, right? You look different. The book says you're a nature god of some sort, a very strong one. But you're so small."

The nature spirit gave a gentle laugh. _Size isn't everything, young one. You have a lot to learn. Let us explain._ Zygarde's mind-voice took on the tone of a teacher lecturing a student. _You are one person, with one mind and one body. We work differently. Zygarde is one creature with many minds and many bodies, scattered across Kalos and beyond so that we can keep an eye on everything at once. Because we are one, we can talk to one another, see what we all see, and know what we all know. We are a Core, the part of Zygarde which thinks and makes decisions. We guard all of Kalos, one Core to every region. Cells are also part of us, but they cannot think like Cores can. If we have to, we can call and join with Cells and other Cores to form a more powerful body. What is in your picture is us with roughly half of our Cells merged. We have other forms we can take depending on our needs._

Racel looked at the picture, then to the real Zygarde and again. "I get it...I think. So, was it you-you or one of your other yous who saw us?"

 _It was us, the Zygarde Core who guards Southern Kalos. We saw you in the forest last night and came to get a closer look. We must say, we weren't expecting children. You're lucky that we are in the area._ Zygarde hopped closer. _So, tell us. What do the humans want?_

"Magearna. It's some kind of artifact from five hundred years ago - judging from its plans and what we heard people say about it, it's a mechanical Pokémon." Chymia heard Zygarde give a startled cry. "You know about it?"

_We told you, nothing happens in all of Kalos without our knowing about it. Yes, we know who Magearna is, but we're afraid we can't give her to you. She lives far to the south, in a land called the Nebel Plateau, under the guardianship of Volcanion, the God of the Mountains. He wouldn't mind seeing us, we're old friends, but if you two come to his land alone you will be in danger. He considers all humans his enemies, especially Azothians. As for why, it's, as you said, a long story. Magearna has something to do with it._

_"_ Magearna's alive? _"_ Chymia hadn't taken that into consideration. She assumed Magearna was only an automaton, like Eliphas's other creations. If it had a mind and will of its own, along with a home and a friend, that made the situation considerably more complicated. She didn't believe she had no choice. There had to be a way of accessing the Soul Heart's power that didn't harm Magearna. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt someone, least of all someone innocent.

_As alive as any other Pokémon - or human. Volcanion loves her like a daughter. He will never give her up, least of all to Azothians. Your people wronged them centuries ago, and the God of the Mountains does not forgive._

Racel held his ground. "We'd like to talk to him anyway - our homeland needs her help, and it would be better if we found her than the others. We don't want to hurt her. We promise you and Volcanion that after we've done what we need to we'll give her back. I can't say the same about them. Please, you've got to believe us."

Zygarde paused. It turned to Fuwa, who paused as if listening to something only he could hear. Fuwa nodded, then purred. A few moments later, he purred again in response to an unspoken reply from Zygarde, who bowed its head.

 _Your Slurpuff is willing to vouch for you two. He told us, in his words, that you're kind to Pokémon and brave and that you only mean good. We think this could be a very good opportunity for all parties involved. You two could help heal the rift in this land between Volcanion and the Azoth Kingdom. He means well, but his hate blinds him. You two are not his enemies or a threat to his people. He needs to see that times have changed, and not all Azothians are like the ones he hates so much. We are not allowed to intervene directly, but we can push things in the right direction. We think we can help you if you're heading south. If you are going to meet Lord Volcanion, you'll need us to come along to protect you. He won't listen to you, but he_ will _listen to us._

 _"_ Thank you, Zygarde! _"_ Racel hugged the little creature, who took it fairly well for a powerful Legendary Pokémon. "You're coming with us? How? We're going into town soon. Are you going to turn invisible again?"

 _That was our first idea, yes, but we had a better idea as we watched you. Carry us in one of your bags. Very few humans know about us and we would like to keep things that way._ Chymia opened her bag, Zygarde wriggling inside and trying to get itself comfortable. _Hmm. Not too uncomfortable. We can live with this. Mind if we have one of these cookies?_

Chymia heard the sound of munching from inside the bag, Zygarde not bothering to wait for an answer. Racel laughed, warming up to the little creature already. "We're going to buy food in town today. You can have as much as you like. Just don't make yourself sick off them." The last part, Chymia guessed, was from Racel's own sweet tooth and bitter experience.

* * *

In another part of the forest, much closer to the city, Diancie and her entourage were planning their next move. Dace, clearly affected by Merrick's story, requested that they avoid the Azoth Kingdom in general. No one, even Diancie, disagreed.

"You heard about what they did to Magearna. They're bad people. Greedy, too. I won''t have them do to you what they did to her."

"They don't leave the city much, though," Merrick replied. "Magearna told me that the Azothians fear the forest's protector, and even more so Volcanion himself. In her day they lit incense to show him respect, for fear that he would come down from the mountains and destroy their city. For all I know they kept the tradition up. If nothing else, they fear the gods."

"Who's the forest's protector? It isn't Volcanion."

"Volcanion doesn't come to the forest unless he has no choice. His powers are too destructive for that. This forest is guarded by a powerful Pokémon god named Zygarde. It is said that very few have seen Zygarde in person, and I never met it myself, but it will appear if the forest is ever in serious danger. As for the Azothians, they have cut themselves off from the environment. They are creatures of metal and machine oil, relying on stolen energy. They forgot their own history. In their decline they came to fear nature instead of respecting and living alongside it." Merrick looked back, as if remembering Magearna. "Lady Magearna felt sorry for them. I remember her telling me that, even when they locked her in their tower, they were only doing what they thought was right."

"I find it hard to feel sorry for people who did what they did. If that's true," Allotrope replied, "we should be able to avoid them easily enough if we stay in the forest."

Diancie understood Allotrope, but she didn't think her assumption was completely fair. "It's been hundreds of years since Volcanion took Magearna. Maybe things have changed. People can change as time changes. Merrick, your Trainer cared about you."

"My Trainer did care about me - I still remember the battles we fought together and the love he showed me. He would never have abandoned me on purpose - although there were those in Volcanion's land who suffered that and worse, my Trainer was a good man. Volcanion simply can't tell the difference between good humans and bad ones anymore. Unfortunately, he was long dead by the time I left the Nebel Plateau. I made it back to his home in Avignon Town, only to find it owned by strangers. That's when Dace and Allomere's clan picked me up."

Bort gestured deeper in the forest. "Sorry to interrupt, but should we stay on the trail or avoid it? We're not too far from the main city."

"It wouldn't hurt to go off," replied Allomere. "We're less likely to run into humans in the forest. It's a safer route. We just need to go around the city and south. According to Merrick, Volcanion's land isn't too far away."

Suddenly, a net fired from somewhere in the shadows enfolded the five Pokémon, charging with energy before Diancie could even attempt a counterattack. The Diamond Storm she started fizzled out at once. Her entourage were downed immediately. She struggled to stay awake enough to get a look at what was going on. Two creatures - they must have been humans, going from Dace's description of them - emerged from the forest, both wearing clothing designed to blend into the foliage. The taller human was scrawny with bright blond hair while the other was stockier, his hair black. The blond one high-fived the stocky one, grinning.

"Woo-hoo! Nice shot, Rui! They didn't even see that coming. Let's see what we have here." He poked the still body of Bora with a stick. "That's funny. We don't usually see Carbink around these parts, let alone five of them. We're gonna make a mint off of this lot."

The stocky hunter, Rui, gestured to Diancie. "Uh, Ren, I don't think that big one's a Carbink. Carbink ain't that pretty pink color. They don't get that big, neither. I have no idea what it is."

The blond hunter squinted, shaking the net. "Whatever it is, it looks rare. Never seen anything like that before. How much do you think we can get off of it?"

Rui shrugged. "No idea. Maybe enough money that we don't have to sneak around the woods anymore and can get real jobs. Now wouldn't that be nice?"

The two humans had to be poachers, who would sell them for money in one of the cities. Dace had warned Diancie about them, and she was angry for being caught unawares - she hadn't expected an ambush. She wanted to fight them, but whatever the net was made of sapped her energy, making her feel too tired to move. Dace and the others were still stone-cold. She was only protected because of her additional power as a Diancie.

Ren dumped the net into a cloth sack, slinging it over his shoulder. "Yeah. Whatever. Now, whatta ya say we load this batch into the truck? We haven't had a haul this good in weeks. Most of the wild Pokémon must have learned to avoid us by now. Remember, we split the cash fifty-fifty once we reach town, like you said."

Before Rui could reply, there was a sound of beating wings as a shadow darkened the forest floor, startling them. It was a large dragonlike Pokémon with blue scales and vast red wings, landing squarely in front of the two poachers. It gave a loud roar, and Ren squeaked. A redheaded woman in a black beret and military dress dismounted it, confronting the two poachers. Her eyes were as bright and fierce as her Pokémon's. Even Diancie could sense an aura of authority around her.

"Who the heck are you?" Rui glowered at the newcomer. "You don't look like a police officer. What are you doing out here?"

"Scouting, technically. I am General Hitomi Ether, commander of the Azoth Kingdom's armed forces." The woman didn't seem particularly impressed by either poacher. "I have more important things to do than fight with you. Hand over the bag now and I won't inform my superiors you two clowns were caught poaching on Azoth Kingdom land."

_An Azothian! But Merrick said..._

"What's this about poachin'? We're just enjoyin' the natural..." Rui gulped, seeing her cold expression. "Scenery."

Overcoming his fear, Ren pulled a Poké Ball from his belt. "I'm sorry, General whoever-you-are, but this is _our_ catch. Tell your boss we ain't sharing. Finders keepers. Heracross! Go!" A blue bug Pokémon emerged from the Poké Ball, claws bared and eyes narrowed. The Salamence only growled, scraping its claws on the earth.

"Go, Pinsir!" Rui sent out a Pokémon of his own, a large brown rugged creature with two huge gray pincers on its head and nasty-looking teeth. Despite his brave face, Diancie noticed that he was trembling as much as his partner. They were outmatched and he knew it. The woman, on the other hand, wasn't fazed at the prospect of a two-on-one match, coolly folding her arms. "These are our hunting grounds. Go back where you came from, or we'll make you."

The woman only rolled her eyes. "Why do they always have to be like this? Fine, if you want to fight so badly, I accept. Tatara, Flamethrower." The Salamence spewed a burst of orange flames, knocking a badly burned Heracross to the ground. It didn't get up again. Ren recalled his Pokémon, visibly sweating as he backed away. The woman smiled - she, a much more experienced trainer, was toying with them, something both Rui and Ren knew.

Rui, although frightened by Heracross's fate, tried to keep his composure as Ren cowered behind him. "Don't worry, cuz, I got this. Pinsir, Submission!"

The Pinsir tried to rush the dragonlike Pokémon, who simply dodged the attack before retaliating with another Flamethrower and knocking out Pinsir, too. The scary-looking Pokémon crumpled in front of its shocked trainer. Recalling Pinsir, Rui bolted and ran into the woods, followed by Ren, leaving the bag behind. The woman didn't give chase, letting the pair get away.

For a moment Diancie hoped that the woman, smirking as they fled, would be satisfied with running off the poachers. "I'll just leave those buffoons to Captain Doga. He could use something to do." Her attention switched to Diancie. "A strange Pokémon, eh? I'll let the boss have a better look at you after we interrogate the poachers. He knows more about this sort of thing than me." She grabbed the bag and sprang onto her Pokémon's back, swooping above the trees and into the open sky.


	6. En Passant

_15XX, August 14th_

_Today was the fifth day of work on the royal commission. Chief Minister Brand and the King are growing increasingly demanding about the energy crisis project's progress. They do not seem to recognize that a project of this magnitude will take a great deal of time and weeks of work. They handed me something very close to an impossible task. I have an idea of what I will have to do, but the information is too dangerous to even write down in my own papers. When I die, I will have no control over who will take possession of my property, and I cannot risk my designs falling into careless hands. I trust my sons to obey my last will and testament, but the King has expressed interest in my work and there's little I can do if he decides to claim them._

_Nicolas Brand is a smart man. He knows a great deal about Mystery Science in his own right, and I think he's the one behind His Majesty's insistence on taking my project when I am done with it. It's fair enough - he's the Cabinet Minister, handling the crisis is his responsibility, and he himself is under a great deal of pressure. The people are growing restless. Secrets can only be kept for so long. I don't envy Minister Brand. He is a competent politician who has been handed a bad situation. Energy crisis aside, the drought is making us sick and killing our crops. The water we used to power our gears has gone dry. I only pray that my invention will solve this before they turn to open revolt._

_On the personal side of things, Ampharos has almost completely recovered from my experiment several months ago. Although he still cringes when I handle him, he saw me hand over the staff and knows I am sorry. It could have been much worse. I need my Pokémon with me now more than ever. These are difficult times for all of us, human and Pokémon alike. I can only hope my sons and their descendants do not see its like again..._

Jarvis Sakuro put away Eliphas's journal, getting up to give his long limbs some exercise. Kage, out of her Poké Ball, stood beside him. He usually let the shiny Gengar out in private - while she didn't accompany him at work, he preferred having her by his side. There was something of a stigma around Ghost and Psychic Pokémon under the ownership of government officials. In the past, kings and politicians alike were accused of influencing others' decisions with their Pokémon's powers, and in modern Kalos they were restrained to their Poké Balls during cabinet meetings by law. Even Jarvis, the highest-ranking official in the Azoth Kingdom, was no exception.

He approached her, startled when she flinched and stepped away, fear in her eyes. She didn't attack like Tatara, she never would, she was too good-natured for that, but she had always used to let him come close to her. Come to think of it, she hadn't licked him or showed any of her usual ways of affection towards him ever since he began his Synchro Mega Evolution tests.

_I did this._

He felt what he hadn't felt over hurting Yakana or Tatara - shame. They were army Pokémon, bred and trained for battle, so he reasoned that they could handle pain, but she was his personal partner and she trusted him. Intentionally or not, he was damaging that relationship. He couldn't stop, however - he needed to fix Synchro Mega Evolution so the side effects could be weakened or prevented. He couldn't hand imperfect technology over to the army. He knew General Ether. She wouldn't settle with an incomplete project.

Kneeling, he looked directly at her and lifted his goggles to show his eyes. "Kage, I know that Synchro Mega Evolution hurts. I'm sorry, but I have to get the procedure to work properly. I need to keep my deal with Doga and Ether. I wouldn't do this unless it was absolutely necessary. Please understand."

Kage fixed him with her red eyes. He wasn't sure whether he saw understanding in them, accusation, or both. He left her alone to survey the insides of his study and the few things he brought from home - several shelves of books, some imported from the Royal Library, the painting of Nicolas Brand from his office, his desk, and a carved wooden chair. It was a fine portrait, drawn from life five hundred years ago by a court painter. It was tradition dating from Eliphas's time that the Azothian Cabinet Minister have a portrait done, but Jarvis, still new to the job, hadn't commissioned one yet, partly because he was worried what people who looked at it would see. He didn't look brave or noble, or even especially handsome. Those weren't his strengths, but nobody admired cunning and deal-making, even though they were what got things done in the end.

As the most honored holder of the post, Nicolas Brand's portrait usually hung in the current Minister's office. Brand had the traditional brown-and-orange uniform of a Cabinet Minister, the same design that Jarvis himself wore. He was a heavyset man, his features rounder than his modern counterpart, with black hair and stern green eyes. It was an awkward juxtaposition. Brand was loyal to his King to the death. Jarvis, however he tried to justify it, had betrayed his. On the other hand, Brand funded Eliphas's experiments in Mystery Science, so Jarvis felt some connection to the man who helped his ancestor.

Even after some time getting used to it, he still didn't think much of the _Tetsutori_. His private study was pleasant enough, but every other hour a crewman needed his advice on something, Captain Doga wanted to consult him on navigation, or Ether demanded he be present while she ran the crew through drills. It was a miracle he could get any reading done at all. He barely had time to experiment between drills and visitors. He was technically the expedition's chief organizer, and Ether was right that it was his duty, but it was cutting into the time he needed for his work.

To make matters worse, before they set off he'd actually been having something of a pleasant time. The palace staff, much taken by his speech and his promises, had insisted on holding a feast in his honor before departure. He wasn't usually one to indulge himself, but anxiety gave him an appetite, and the meal was delicious - far better than the scraps available on the _Tetsutori_ , and much more filling. Army food was made to keep, not for taste. It was like chewing rubber, and it was sour in his stomach. When he complained about it to Ether, she only told him that if he was going to work with the Army, he would have to get used to living like her troops. The only thing he was getting used to so far was indigestion. His Majesty, the Lifebringer rest his soul, never had to cope with this.

Just as he settled down to resume his studies, he heard a knock at his study door. He rolled his eyes behind his glasses and got up, followed by Kage. "Who is it?"

"It's General Ether. Captain Doga and I have apprehended two prisoners. Found them while I was searching the forest, and they didn't put up much of a fight. We thought it should be your job to question them."

"Prisoners?" Jarvis wasn't exactly sure what to think. "Bring them in."

Jarvis didn't recognize the two men brought before him - their clothes weren't Azothian styles. Instead they were dressed in a dark shirt and pants, presumably all the better for 'hunting'. One, lanky and blond, was almost as tall as Jarvis was and the other shorter and stockier. Both of them looked absolutely terrified. Ether was probably in large part to blame for that. Judging from her smug expression, in contrast to Doga's severe one, she had dealt with them personally. She was well-known among the Azothian elite as a formidable battler - even Kage would be hard-pressed to win a match against Tatara. The Salamence was fast and savage in battle, well-trained, and as vicious and unrelenting as her owner. The prisoners probably hadn't stood a chance.

Both wore gray magnet belts around their waists, the traditional method of restraining prisoners in the Azoth Kingdom. Jarvis recognized them from his time in the royal court, when criminals were brought before the King and his officials for reading of the charges. Always applied in pairs, they bound people together through invisible energy or trapped them in a specific location, disrupting movement and slowing anyone wearing them down considerably. Other belts inflicted painful electric shocks - in Eliphas's time, they were used as torture devices, but in modern times they were weakened into a tool to discourage escape. The belts were near impossible to take off, and couldn't be removed through physical force. The duo wouldn't be going anywhere. Neither one looked very comfortable.

"All right," the blond one said, glaring at Jarvis. "I'm guessing you're the head honcho around here. What's the big idea, huh? This is no way to treat people!"

Jarvis decided to ignore them for the moment. "General Ether, Captain Doga, who are _they_? Why are they wearing prison belts?"

Doga bowed before Jarvis, while Ether only glowered. "Both criminals, Your Honor," said the Royal Guard Captain. "We brought them on board for questioning - and punishment, if you see fit." The two criminals exchanged nervous glances.

It was not surprising that the sight of the tall man in important-looking clothes and goggles that covered his eyes frightened them once they realized how serious the situation was. Jarvis wasn't imposing to people who knew him personally. His bookish personality and withdrawn tendencies were well known to everyone from his fellow cabinet members to his own servants. Ether and Doga, technically his underlings, were unafraid of him, Ether mocking him to his face and undermining his leadership with every chance she got - but these two didn't know him at all. For all they knew, he was about to order their executions. He would do no such thing, of course, but he could use their fear to his advantage.

Ether roughly shoved the two men forward, her sword drawn. "While we were scouting on your orders, Sakuro, we found these poachers on our land. Tatara and I saw to taking care of them, _without_ your fancy Mega Wave technique, I may add. What should we do with them?"

"We prefer the term 'freelance hunters for profit'," the stocky poacher replied, clamming up when Ether glared at him.

Jarvis leaned back in his seat and folded his fingers together, putting on the calm air of a judge. "Semantics aren't what matter here. You two are aware that since you were caught on Azoth Kingdom land, you are subject to our laws. The minimum sentence for poaching on royal property is two years in prison."

The stocky poacher fell to his knees, followed by his blond partner. " _What_? We can't go to prison, Mr. Sakuro! We have lives! Have mercy on us!"

"Please! We had no idea it was your land!" The blond poacher was almost in tears.

 _Oh, by the horns of the Lifegiver. I don't have time for this._ "Names?" Jarvis asked, taking out a notebook and trying to hide his exasperation. He had hoped to achieve more on the first few days of searching for Magearna than terrorizing a couple of two-bit criminals. These two weren't even _good_ criminals. He had more respect for the pickpockets and street thieves who he grew up with in the Azothian slums - at least they turned to crime out of desperation and hunger more than anything else. He doubted that questioning them would turn up anything useful, much less relevant to his actual goals. "Names, I said. I would prefer to get this nonsense out of the way quickly. I have actual _work_ to do."

The stocky poacher stepped forward, covering up his fear. "I'm Rui, from Jacore Town, and this is my cousin Ren. We were hunting in the forest, and that woman swooped out of nowhere and completely destroyed us. Then the other one put these..." - Rui pointed to the magnetic ring around his middle - "... _things_ on us and loaded us up here. Can you tell us who you are and what's going on?"

Ren gave a jerking nod. "We swear we didn't know this was your land we were hunting on. We won't come back, mister, on our honor."

"It's only good manners to introduce myself." Jarvis bowed, more out of formality than anything else. "I am Jarvis Sakuro, Cabinet Minister, acting ruler of the Azoth Kingdom, and legal owner of the land General Ether caught you poaching on." The two poachers looked more spooked than anything else. That was good - Jarvis saw an opportunity to put up a tougher front for Doga and Ether. He wasn't worried about Doga, but he wanted to keep Ether's respect. She was a formidable battler, a faithless ally, and a dangerous enemy. He suspected that she brought him the prisoners in part as a test of his ruthlessness and decision-making skills. "Things will be better for you if you're honest with us. Kage here can get the truth out of you if you're uncooperative, and neither of us want that." The two poachers went pale, and Rui gulped. "First, tell me, what were you two looking for on Azoth Kingdom land?"

"We were _hunting_ ," said Ren. "We had a good haul, too. Got a bunch of rare Pokémon. We would have made a bundle back in town if General What's-her-name hadn't caught us."

"So I've heard." Jarvis gestured to the sack Ether laid beside them. "Now, do me a favor, Mr. Ren. Open up the bag and show me what's inside. Depending on what it is, I might ease your punishment a little. My associates and I are looking for something important to our people, and information will be rewarded."

Ren twitched, the shiny Gengar fixing him with an intense stare, and knelt to open the bag, revealing a metal net of some sort. Jarvis left his desk to get a better look. There were four Pokémon he recognized as Carbink, but the last one he couldn't identify. The four Carbink were unconscious, but the last one was still awake, if only just. It was roughly two to three feet tall, its head covered in bright pink diamonds. It seemed to be wearing a white dress. Its big blue eyes looked directly at him, both frightened and curious. Even he, who generally cared little for aesthetics, thought that it was beautiful as it gleamed in the _Tetsutori'_ s internal lighting. "Four Carbink, sir, and one more. We had no idea what the big one was. Some kinda special Carbink, we'd guess. Maybe even one of a kind."

"So your first thought on finding this rare creature was to sell it for _money_." Jarvis shook his head in disbelief. They could have at least informed Kingdom officials of their discovery and received a cash reward fairly. Azothian scientists were always open to new discoveries. Even he had never seen a creature like this before, and he read about Kalosian mythology even in childhood. So short-sighted.

"Why not?" Ren laughed. "We're simple folk with simple pleasures. Pickings ain't as easy as they used to be. All the Pokémon in the forest know we're there now, and there's no way we're goin' south. The only place around here with that many wild Pokémon to hunt is the Nebel Plateau, and we wouldn't go there if you paid us. The Great God of the Mountains lives there. Everyone knows hunters who even just go near the place never come back. Volcanion gets 'em. We're not stupid, Mr. Sakuro. We'd rather mess with you than him."

"That's a new one. So you're saying the only reason you're here is because of an imaginary monster."

"Volcanion's real as you and me," said Rui. "We don't need money enough to go picking fights with him."

Jarvis raised an eyebrow. He knew people within the Azoth Kingdom believed in the God of the Mountains, but he never guessed the superstition spread into Kalos proper. It was harmless enough - even he saw the annual ceremony in Volcanion's honor as an interesting curiosity, if out-of-place in modern times. "You saw him, then?"

"Well, no, of course not, but we know the stories. He's the king of the Nebel Plateau and looks after the Pokémon there. It's covered by mists - he puts them up so people get lost in the fog, then he gets 'em. Hunters, smart ones at least, never go to the Plateau. Even we know better than that. It's suicide, plain and simple. Nobody who goes there ever comes back."

"I don't determine government policy based on folktales. You need better information than that if I'm going to make a deal with you."

Ren took on a sly expression. "Tell ya what. If you let us go, Mr. Sakuro, you can have the big one. You look like a guy with good taste. Consider it a gift from us."

Jarvis slouched at his desk. "You're trying to bribe me. Don't embarrass yourselves any more than you already have. Just because I'm a politician doesn't mean I take bribes. This creature of yours is very unusual, yes, and I would like to keep it on board for scientific observation, but it isn't what we're looking for. I remind you that both of you are in no position to hide anything from me."

Shrugging, Ren turned to Rui and said "Hey, it was worth a shot."

Jarvis tried to think. Magearna was a Pokémon, of a sort. He wasn't sure, going from the designs, if it had a mind of its own like real Pokémon. It was no longer in the Azoth Kingdom. If someone had stolen it, it would have either been destroyed, stashed in the hoard of some collector with more money and spare time than sense, or put on display in a museum somewhere. None of these options was a good one for him - visiting every museum, collector, and back-alley antique dealer in all of Kalos or possibly beyond would take years he didn't have. The other option was that Magearna had somehow left the Kingdom and gone feral. This was the better option. He could simply track it down. The Nebel Plateau sounded like a promising place to start: a large Pokémon population, secluded from the outside world, protected by myths of a powerful guardian. If he was a one-of-a-kind mythical Pokémon who wanted to hide somewhere and never be found, he would go there.

He wished he had the _Hinotama_. The _Tetsutori_ was not designed for stealth, and he wanted to go in alone if possible. The wild Pokémon couldn't possibly miss a huge clunky warship. If Magearna was there, and if it could think for itself at all, it would see them coming a mile away. He had something he had designed and stashed away just for the occasion, but even _that_ would be more dangerous than using the flying-machine. Chymia had well and messed up his plans, probably what she wanted to do all along.

Finding the Plateau was the other issue. It wasn't on any maps or charts. He had read enough of them to know. He doubted Rui and Ren could lead him there, either. They barely seemed aware of where they were.

"We'd actually recommend letting them go if we can't have 'em back." Rui pointed to the bag. "Volcanion's said to come if there's a wild Pokémon in trouble around the Plateau. Nobody knows how he finds out, and hardly anyone's ever seen him and lived to tell about it, but it's one surefire way to get his attention." Rui must have seen Jarvis smile. "Uh, mister, you ain't thinking of going there, are you? 'Cause if so, we're outta here. Nothing personal, but we want to live, and you should, too. The Mountain God doesn't play around."

"You aren't going anywhere," Doga told them. "Not until the prison bands come off. We can't trust you not to bail on us, you see."

"I don't believe in Volcanion, but we have to find the Plateau, and your little fairy tale is the only thing close to a lead we've got. I'll be taking your catch into custody. As for you two..." Jarvis considered his options for a moment. Rui and Ren weren't the smartest or the most trustworthy people he had available, but they had reasonable knowledge of the area and the prison belts would keep their cowardice in check. Having them come along wouldn't be a problem as long as he didn't entrust them with anything important. "I'm in a good mood. Instead of prison, we'll let you join our crew. We need all the spare hands we can get. Consider it community service." He offered a hand to Rui. "So, do we have a deal?"

Rui and Ren looked first to Jarvis and then to Ether, one hand on her sword. She smirked. They didn't really have much of a choice, something both sides knew. Jarvis had set the trap well.

Rui accepted the handshake, trying to cover up his fear. Jarvis bowed again. "Good. Glad to see that you're being reasonable. Privates Rui and Ren, welcome aboard the good ship _Tetsutori_."

The two poachers saluted, probably deciding to cut their losses. Fair enough. He would find a suitable job for them later. "Aye, aye, sir!"

* * *

Diancie wasn't sure what to make of the conversation, although she had figured out who the key players were. Rui and Ren were the two poachers. The woman's name was General Ether. She was startled when the leader of the humans seemed to take an interest in her. She guessed he was their leader - he spoke with authority, he sat alone in the chamber, and the meaner-looking humans took orders from him. At first she thought he sounded more reasonable than the woman, and it was only Dace's warnings about talking to humans which stopped her from trying to start a conversation. Another Pokémon stood beside him, this one a light purple color with spikes down its back and glowing red eyes. It looked more bored than anything else. She recognized it from Dace's stories as a Gengar, a powerful Ghost Pokémon.

Ether and the big man, Captain Doga, escorted the two poachers out of the room, both still wearing those odd collars around their bellies. She didn't like them, but they seemed scared and upset. In any case, she was alone with the leader of the humans, finally getting a good look at the mysterious Jarvis Sakuro. Jarvis was a tall, lanky man wearing a heavy brown coat and a suit underneath it. It was impossible to see his eyes behind the leather goggles he wore, but his features seemed more curious than anything else.

He tutted, kneeling to examine Diancie, and raised his goggles to reveal eyes as purple as his hair. "Strange looking creature, aren't you? Those two louts were right about one thing - I've never seen a Pokémon like you before. I apologize on behalf of my crew and General Ether for their roughness. My name is Jarvis Sakuro. Consider yourself my guest for the immediate future. I'm afraid I can't let you go. You're doing an important service to the Azoth Kingdom. We need to find the Nebel Plateau, and to do that we need to attract Volcanion and track it to its home. I don't like putting stock in legends, but these are strange times. Given recent events, I wouldn't be surprised if the God of the Mountains itself comes knocking at our door." He laughed, but with a hint of bitterness in it. "But I've said enough. Stay in this room until I come back, my dear, and there won't be any trouble. You really are a fascinating creature. It's a pity we had to meet like this. The Bureau of Mystery Science back home would like a look at you, I think."

Diancie didn't say a word. It would be just as well if Jarvis didn't know she could talk. He seemed smart enough to take advantage of that, and she wasn't sure if talking to him would achieve anything besides make it even less likely that he would set them free.

Jarvis got up, turning to his Pokémon. "Kage, keep an eye on them. I need to check up on our new recruits on the deck. I'm not sure they're as devoted to our cause as they wanted me to believe." The shiny Gengar nodded, stepping aside as her owner opened the door and locked it behind him. They waited alone in the room for a few awkward moments.

"Just what I thought." Diancie felt Dace shift beside her, followed by the other Carbink. "He's a human. Of course he wasn't going to let us go. We're prisoners here. He's probably going to do something horrible to us."

"Kage. That's your name, right?" Diancie decided to talk to the bored-looking Gengar. At the very least she would be company, and she hadn't moved to harm them. "Can't _you_ let us go, or look the other way? We have something very important to do."

Kage blinked, as if surprised to hear from her. "Afraid not, ma'am. Orders are orders. I don't agree with or like everything Master Jarvis does, but I've been his Pokémon for thirty long years and I do as I'm told. I've known him for even longer, since he was only a baby. I once served his father and his grandfather before him."

"That doesn't make sense," said Diancie. "If you don't like his orders, why do you do what he says?"

The Gengar stepped away from the door, standing in front of the net. "It's a bit of a long story. To start off with, Master Jarvis wasn't always the way he is now. I remember him when he was as young as the Kingdom's prince is now. He was always quiet and never worked very well with others, but he was also smart and curious and well-mannered and never cruel. I was really the only childhood friend he had, and both of us were happy that way. His parents were very poor and decided to try and give him a better future in government work. Against all odds, he passed the test - I'd never seen him so proud. We promised to look out for one another as we always had. His Majesty the King offered him a place as a low-level clerk to a member of the royal cabinet. After that, his work and rising through the ranks slowly came to mean more to him than anything else. He was too busy to come and visit his mother and father before they died - he never forgave himself for that, and he wanted to prove that their sacrifice wasn't worthless. At least that was his goal at first."

Diancie wished she'd gotten more of a chance to watch Jarvis in context of his history. She felt less sorry for him and more sorry for Kage - while she was holding her prisoner, she was only doing her job, and she didn't seem mean or scary at all. She was following a Trainer who didn't deserve her love and loyalty, at least not anymore. As for Jarvis, she wasn't sure whether to feel sympathy for him or not. While his life story sounded unhappy, he had clearly risen above his humble background.

"He got what he wanted after years of work, but there was a price to be paid. Everyone knew who he was: Jarvis Sakuro, the King's pet, uplifted street trash who dared give orders to his betters. My master beat the system and the system hated him back. He gave up his family and his happiness only to be laughed at. He became more cynical, bitter, angry at his colleagues and the world around him, never saying it but letting frustration and resentment build up inside him. He thought he could run things better than the royal family - he thinks they're decadent and old-fashioned, unfit to rule. He planned to oust the current heirs, Princess Chymia and her brother Racel, and made a deal with those two scoundrels Doga and Ether to help him do it. In his studies, he found a way to Mega Evolve Pokémon by force, and he started testing it on me. He wants to fix it - he doesn't _enjoy_ hurting anyone, least of all me - but it's a painful procedure, and there's no workaround yet."

Diancie tilted her head. "Why do you let him do that to you?"

"I promised his mother I'd protect him, and that's exactly what I'm going to do. I am bound to the Sakuro family, and he is the last one left alive. That, and I forgive him. Serving Master Jarvis is my duty. He's my Trainer, we've worked together for thirty years, and I can sense his emotions. He can hide them from the Azothian people and the crew, but never me. His suffering is mine, too. I feel every bit of his pain, his conflict, his self-hatred. When he forces me to Mega Evolve, I can tell he doesn't enjoy it. I can feel his fear of losing General Ether's respect. He thinks he has to be tough and ruthless to keep her on his side. He knows that if he gave up and came slinking back home to the Azoth Kingdom he'd be a laughingstock. Even he knows he's tangled in his own web, but it's too late to go back and he's too proud to admit that he made a mistake. He's in a very dark place right now, and he needs me more than ever."

Merrick sighed, getting up in the net. "I sympathize with you, Miss Kage, but you can't protect someone from himself. Your master's made some extremely bad choices. They're his fault. He has to answer for them. "

"That is true, but the boy who was my friend isn't gone. There is still some heart in him. For all his plotting he wouldn't let any harm come to Prince Racel under his watch. The prince is the closest thing he has to a son, and he genuinely enjoyed the time they spent together. He doesn't say it, but he sees a bit of himself in the child - or who he used to be, the Jarvis Sakuro who loved learning and history more than power. I can only hope he comes to his senses before it's too late."

"Wouldn't hold my breath," Dace said with a snort.

Diancie had some idea of what Kage meant - although her master did bad things, she didn't think of him as a bad _person_. She didn't know Jarvis nearly well enough to pity him, but had gotten a sense of exhaustion and frustration even from their brief interaction. The thing that did interest her was Mega Evolution - it might give her the extra energy she needed to recharge the Heart Diamond, but she somehow doubted Jarvis would be willing to give up his little secret, and she wasn't about to ask. Besides, going from Kage's description there was something very wrong with the kind Jarvis used. She turned to be with her entourage - there wasn't much else to do.

What she didn't see was the Pidgeotto hovering outside the study window, observing her and Kage before it flew away.


	7. Skirmish

A few hours after Jarvis left them alone in the study, Kage had fallen asleep. None of the Carbink dared try and get the door open, which would risk waking her up. Instead they talked among themselves. Diancie looked outside the window, watching the clouds. Despite the tense situation, she thought it was interesting to be in the sky after spending most of her life underground. The weather outside seemed pleasant, with a clear blue sky and white clouds.

The room itself was well-organized and clean. Whatever else could be said about him, Jarvis had good taste in decorating his study. She saw a picture of a portly man with piercing green eyes and a stern expression on his face, in the same coat she saw Jarvis wear. She guessed he had some kind of leadership position among the humans, but that confirmed it. He wasn't a king - going from Kage's story, he held roughly a similar position to the Azothians as Dace did for the Carbink clan, except something clearly went wrong. If he was an Azothian, what was he doing so far from home? He was after something, clearly, but he hadn't told her or the poachers what. She could hardly ask him without exposing her secret, and he didn't seem the type to give anything away.

"This is terrible," Dace said, speaking softly so Kage wouldn't hear. "The human leader said he's going to take us to scientists back where he came from, in the Azoth Kingdom. You know what they did to Magearna. This is it for us, then. It's over."

"We don't know that," Merrick replied. "That could mean a lot of things. He could mean locking us up, or studying us, or putting us in a zoo...not that those are much better. It's only Lady Diancie he really seemed to notice, anyway. He doesn't care about any of us. Carbink are common enough. Chances are as soon as they've done what they need us for he'll keep her for whatever he wants to do and dump us."

Dace's ears stiffened with rage. "Over my dead body, he will!"

"In any case," said Allotrope, "it doesn't matter. We won't be able to save our home if we're locked up. We've got to find a way out of here."

"How? If you haven't noticed, there's a guard, the only door out is locked, and we're hundreds of miles above ground. We aren't going anywhere. We're stuck. All we can do is wait for the humans to come back. Blasted poachers."

"Well, I don't know about you, Merrick, but we can't just _give up_."

"I'm not giving up - I'm saying as far as I can tell we can't get out. Not on our own, anyway. If these blasted nets hadn't sucked out our energy, I'd suggest we try and fight our way out, it would be five to one..."

"But Kage is a trained Pokémon. She's much more experienced than we are. Most of us have never had serious battles in our lives. Even for you it's been hundreds of years since you fought with your Trainer..."

As they continued to argue, Diancie heard the sound of flapping wings as a brown birdlike Pokémon landed outside the study window, hopping along the side of the battleship before finding a crack just small enough to speak through. Looking at it, it was a Pidgeotto. She waved to it, her entourage following her as she went to talk to it. Even Dace didn't object - they were in a bad enough situation already.

The Pidgeotto perched outside of the window, cocking her head. "Good day, all of you. Glad to see the humans haven't hurt you yet. Don't worry, I'm a friend." She gave a deep bow. "I'm Kaze, the spymaster for Lord Volcanion. And who may you be? You're strangers to this part of Kalos."

Merrick came forward. "I'm Merrick. I used to be a member of Volcanion's clan, but that was certainly before your time."

"Merrick. I'll ask Lady Magearna if she remembers you. We're always glad to see old members of our little family."

"I'm Diancie, Queen of the Diamond Domain to the north of here. These are Dace, Merrick, Allotrope, and Bort, my loyal entourage. You work for Volcanion?"

Kaze gave a startled squawk. "Mercy! You're certainly far from home. On to business, then - yes, I'm one of the Nebel Plateau Pokémon, one of Volcanion's closest friends. I carry a message from my master. He sent me ahead to let you know that help is on the way. The Great God of the Mountains himself is on his way to rescue you. You just have to hold on for a little longer until he arrives. Don't worry, the sky is no obstacle to him."

"The human leader wants Volcanion to come," Diancie told her, remembering what Jarvis said. "He told me that himself. We're bait to lure him here. They've probably got some kind of trap ready for you. Don't risk your own lives trying to save us, Miss Kaze."

Kaze stuck up her beak. "Don't worry. My master's faced humans and their machines before. Can't see what makes this gang of ruffians so different, other than they're traveling by air this time. If anything, they'll be the ones in for a nasty shock. You've met the leader of the Azothians, I would guess?"

Diancie nodded. "Tall, long limbs, wears a thick brown coat and goggles. You'll know him if you see him. He's out right now, but he'll probably be back soon. I think he works here."

After a moment, Kaze nodded. "Yep, that's our man. One of my spies saw him a while ago in the Azoth Kingdom, and I've watched him a few times on deck. I know exactly who you're talking about. His name's Jarvis Sakuro, right? We in the Plateau have been on to this particular gang of humans for a while now. With this overgrown tin can, I can't imagine how they were supposed to surprise us. Volcanion's been itching to attack them for a while now - they're too near our territory for comfort. They're looking for one of our own, the Lady Magearna. When I told him they took prisoners, he said it was time to make his move." She gave a pleased cluck, scraping the metal with her claws. "I'll be willing to bet our Mr. Sakuro's going to find he's bitten off more than he can chew."

"Magearna? Jarvis is looking for Magearna? Why?" Diancie wasn't sure what to make of the news that they had competition, especially competition as dangerous as Jarvis and his group seemed to be. While he hadn't hurt her, and given his genuine curiosity she doubted he would, he was still pretty clearly a shady character and they wouldn't be getting anywhere under his custody. Regardless of what the Bureau of Mystery Science was, it wasn't where she needed to go.

"How should we know? Even Lady Magearna herself has no idea. All that matters to us is that no one messes with one of our own, and as far as Lord Volcanion is concerned what the humans did to you is an act of war."

"War? With the Azothians?" Diancie blinked. "I'm not sure what Jarvis wants, he was hardly clear about it, but I'm not sure he wants a war."

"He's using us as bait to lure Volcanion here," said Dace. "I think that's quite bad enough. Whatever he wants Lady Magearna for, I doubt it's anything good. It appears that the Azothian people haven't learned their lesson. Maybe Volcanion can teach them one."

"Jarvis and his gang aren't _all_ Azothians," replied Diancie. "Kage told me that they're traitors. Whatever they're doing, they're doing it alone."

Kaze beat her wings, asking for quiet. "According to my spies, the Azothian people know what he's up to, at least. Lady Diancie, did the humans do anything to you?"

"No, not really. Jarvis looked at me a little - I think he wants to study me, he said something about a Bureau of Mystery Science - but he didn't do anything bad to me. I don't think he's going to let us go, though. Not me, at least."

"You're a Diancie, eh? Those are supposed to be incredibly rare, once in a thousand years. I've never met a Pokémon like you before. I'm sure Lord Volcanion will be honored to meet you and induct you into the Plateau." Diancie wasn't sure she liked being the object of so much attention - first the poachers, then Jarvis, and now Lord Volcanion took a personal interest in her. At the very least Volcanion might take no for an answer. "My only advice to you is hold on. You won't be stuck in this floating trash heap for much longer, Miss Diancie. Lord Volcanion won't be far behind me. He sent me ahead so you wouldn't be surprised when he comes."

She turned away, taking off from the edge of the ship and plummeting beneath the clouds. Diancie watched her go, her entourage beside her. She didn't feel ready to meet Volcanion - her impression of him from Merrick's stories wasn't a positive one - but it looked like it didn't matter whether she was ready or not. The only thing she knew for sure was that the humans would have a big problem pretty soon.

* * *

Jarvis didn't really like being on deck, especially since his personal study was warm and he had important work to do, but unfortunately his presence was necessary. By the time he got there, Rui and Ren had already tried to bolt, only for the prison belts to bring them together with a _clang_. The two stood on the ship, dazed. Jarvis joined them, his uniform blowing in the wind. He pulled it closer to him, hoping no one saw him shiver in the cold. He could have used a warm cup of coffee under his belt, or even just an herbal tea, something to keep himself from freezing in this wretched weather. The only drinks available from Army stores were watery and lacked flavor. His personal stash was already long gone. He didn't touch alcohol, popular among the soldiers, as a rule - as Father warned him, it was how his family lost their money.

_Going outside is good for you, they said. It'll be a nice change of pace, they said..._

Shaking the thoughts away, he approached the two poachers. They only glared at him. "I heard there's been trouble. Mr. Rui, Mr. Ren, please do calm down. You're only hurting yourselves."

Rui shook his head, facing him directly. "How can we be calm when you've given us a death sentence? I don't really know who you are or whatever weird midlife crisis is driving you to this, but listen up. We should go back and leave Volcanion alone."

Ether approached, brushing Ren aside. "Because, Rui, you are technically our prisoner and you will do as we say. If that isn't an incentive, I don't know what is."

Ren sneered, although his bravado was false, judging from the sweat on his face. "Yeah? We ain't scared of you or your four-eyed friend anymore. We're all gonna die anyway. Tell us where we can get off of this thing, now."

Ether gave a sly smile. "Very well. You want off? That can be arranged." As Rui watched in horror, Ether shoved Ren off the side of the _Tetsutori_ , the man screaming as he fell. Jarvis looked on in shock - he hadn't expected her to go that far. Even Doga, usually stoic, looked surprised. She dusted off her hands as Rui clenched his fists.

"Ren! Ren! You just _killed him_." Ether only stood back, as if waiting.

A few moments later, Ren, still screaming, flew back above the clouds and into view, the invisible energy slamming him into Rui on the deck. Both poachers collapsed from the impact, groaning in pain, a tangle of limbs. Jarvis stared at Ether, making a gesture to ask for an explanation.

She only put her arms to her sides. "What? It was funny, Sakuro. Admit it."

Jarvis sighed. He had to admit that the way things played out was funny in a dark sense, but only because no real harm had been done. "And what if the energy stream pulled the _other_ way? They both would have fallen to their deaths. They may be prisoners, but that hardly means we can do whatever we like to them."

"They need discipline," Ether told him, standing firm. Doga backed off, probably deciding it was best to stay out of this one. Nobody wanted to be around General Ether when she was angry. "You've got a lot of gall taking the moral high ground over me. You're a liar and a usurper."

Jarvis was quick with a reply. "I can say the same thing. What you said is true, but I'm not the one who wanted to murder _children_."

"And if we had done what I suggested, we wouldn't be in this mess right now! But no, you always have to do things your way. We all know you care about Prince Racel. It makes you weak. You never have the guts to do what needs doing, and don't have the sense to step aside and let others do what you won't. Frankly, Jarvis Sakuro, for all your high talk you're not that different from the King. All mouth, no action. Never trust a politician, they say..."

Jarvis breathed in deeply. He wouldn't let Ether's insults get to him. He survived thirty years in the Azothian royal court - he was no stranger to talk like this. He didn't see how Racel was relevant, either. The boy and his sister were probably miles away by now. "We aren't killers, Ether. I am the Cabinet Minister and as far as Azothian law is concerned I may as well be King. _Don't do that again_. That is a direct order."

Rui and Ren exchanged looks. Clearly even they could see that the situation on board the _Tetsutori_ was tense. Jarvis would have preferred it if they hadn't seen the argument - it hardly made him look like the cool, calm leader he tried to present himself as before - but the law had to be laid down. He put up with Ether's insubordination for long enough, and he had not had a very good day on deck. His supper, Army food again, didn't agree with him. The resulting stomachache, combined with the cold weather, made him more cranky than usual.

"Please don't leave us alone with her," Rui said, facing Jarvis, down on his knees.

"She's scary," added Ren. "We won't run away or nothin'."

"As you can see," Ether said with a smirk, " _my_ methods work. But I'm just a military woman. Best to leave the decision-making to the politicians. As you said, Sakuro, you _are_ the leader." She turned to go, gesturing for Doga to follow.

Ren cringed in sympathy. "Ouch. That's gotta leave a mark."

Jarvis decided to ignore the commentary, instead looking out to the horizon. It was a pleasant sunset, and the view above the clouds was something worth seeing. As much as he hated the trip, hated General Ether, and hated the _Tetsutori_ , he could at least try to squeeze some pleasure out of the whole debacle. Of course, he would rather be at home, in his study, with a warm cup of coffee in his hand, and a book on the table. In his reverie, he only just noticed the speck far to the distance, approaching the _Tetsutori_ at a decent clip. From what he could make out at a distance the figure was fairly large, steam trailing out behind it.

He rubbed his glasses, the shadow still there when he put them back on, if anything even closer. For a moment he wondered if it was the _Hinotama_ , but Racel and Chymia would never approach him on their own. It was close enough for him to make out something of what it looked like - it wasn't a flying-machine but a living thing, a large red-and-yellow Pokémon, the steam coming from two long tubelike structures on its back. The Pokémon somehow used the steam to fly like one of the Mystery Science-powered jet packs Jarvis was familiar with in the Azoth Kingdom. The two poachers' eyes went wide in horror.

 _Well, this is just fantastic._ "Clear the deck!" He turned around, calling for the crew. "I've got a bad feeling about that thing." 

The crew didn't move, several reaching for Poké Balls while others took on defensive positions. Jarvis himself stepped back toward the center of the ship. It was a bad time for this - he didn't have any Pokémon on hand, Eliphas's staff was back in his study, and he had no way to defend himself.

"That thing's gotta be Volcanion! We told ya he was real! He's gonna kill us!" Rui turned to run, Ren slamming into him. "Let's go, mate. Jarvis and his buddies can take care of themselves."

Ren glared, trying to pry off the ring around his stomach. "Hey, ya big lummox, watch where you're going!"

Rui shoved him off. "Well, excuse me! I don't control this thing! Now come on! All ya need to do is follow me and don't get too far behi-"

"And where are you two going in such a hurry?"

They almost rammed into Captain Doga, both looking up with sheepish expressions on their faces. "We...were just going to check the engine room, sir."

"And I'm King of the Azoth Kingdom. How stupid do you think we are? You have Pokémon, don't you?" Doga squinted, a hand on his sword, a threat that wasn't lost on either poacher.

Rui shuffled, grabbing at his Pinsir's Poke Ball. "Well, we do, but they aren't anywhere near strong enough to help. Can we please sit this one out?"

"Get back to the deck where we can keep an eye on you. You do what Chief Minister Sakuro says, and that includes fighting. That is a direct order. Do you two buffoons understand that?" The Royal Guard Captain grabbed Ren by the collar and bodily dragged him back, Rui following along behind.

Back on the deck, the crew fell to the sides, Jarvis choosing to stay rather than run to the study. He reached into a pocket of his uniform, feeling the tracking device inside - small enough for him to attach by hand provided he got close enough. Ether was watching, along with the rest of his crew. Good leaders stood their ground. This wasn't the time to cut and run.  

Volcanion landed on the ship with a heavy _clang_ , turning to confront the humans directly. The tubular structures on its back closed into one another to form a ring. The God of the Mountains looked every bit as fearsome as the stories Jarvis had read as a child, of the great monster who Azothians lit incense to for fear it would blast their city apart in a fit of temper. Volcanion wasn't as big as expected, roughly five and a half feet tall without counting its ring, but what it lacked in height it made up for in bulk. It swiped its yellow claws across the deck of the _Tetsutori_ , scarring the ship's iron plating. When the crewmen and their Pokemon tried to get in its way as it closed in on Jarvis, it swatted them aside. Rui and Ren saw Pinsir and Heracross fall to jets of flame, a Pidgeot crumpled on the deck, and a powerful-looking Steelix fainted before its Trainer's feet.

Volcanion only grunted. "Hmph. Is that the best you lot can do? I was expecting more of a fight. Now, which one of you is Jarvis Sakuro?" Jarvis almost cringed, hearing the creature's booming voice in his head. Volcanion's jaws weren't moving - he guessed that it was using telepathy to communicate with them. Judging from the faces of his crew, they could hear it as well. "He's the one I want to see. Get out of my way, all of you. I won't leave until I get what I want and you leave my territory." 

"That would be me." It took every drop of courage in him for Jarvis to stand in the way of the legendary monster, drawing its attention away from his crew. It immediately turned from the crewmen it trapped to face him, blue eyes narrowed. He wondered if he been reckless, knowing what he was up against. The Great God of the Mountains was real, standing before him in the flesh, and going from its expression and its attitude it was very angry. He could feel his heart pound and his breath, visible in the freezing air, catch in his lungs. But he was the head of the expedition, and it was his responsibility to confront the creature. "Leave my crew out of this. I'm the one you're after."

Volcanion snorted out a puff of steam, slowly approaching. "So, you're the boss of the humans, huh?"

"So, you can speak." Jarvis tried to at least look brave, holding his ground in front of the monster while backing away. If Volcanion could talk, it could be reasoned with. The creature was a god, at least in Azothian legend - perhaps he could appease it in some way. He gave a sweeping bow. "It is an honor to meet you, Your Majesty. My name is Jarvis Sakuro, Cabinet Minister of the Azoth Kingdom. Welcome-"

"Shut up, human! I don't care what you have to say." The ring on Volcanion's back opened up, moving into position. "Turn back and leave my territory. That's my final warning. Go back where you came from, Azothian. I can smell the stink of the city on your clothes. Leave Lady Magearna and my people alone."

Jarvis stood firm as Volcanion snarled, baring teeth. Doga and Ether were nowhere in sight, and there was no way he could make it to his study in time without a diversion. The best he could do was try and buy time with a conversation.  "Magearna is the property of the Azothian people. I won't leave until we have what we need. No one will stand in my way, not even you." 

Volcanion stamped its feet. "Magearna belongs to no one, least of all the Azothians! If you won't step aside, human, I'll make you." The holes at the center of Volcanion's arms opened up and the blue parts on them took on a faint glow. 

"Boss! Get down!" One of the crewmembers tackled Jarvis to the ground as a blast of boiling water streamed past them. Volcanion grunted as its attack missed, whirling to regain its aim. He could see Doga scrambling back on deck, Ether following along behind.  "Find shelter, Your Honor. It's you it's after."

Jarvis got up, shaking his head. "I was hoping a god would have better manners. Captain Doga, General Ether, hold Volcanion off. Don't worry, I have a plan. I think this counts as a last resort." Volcanion wheeled to strike again, Jarvis turning and bolting in the general direction of his study. The mist didn't bother him as much as some thanks to his goggles - it fogged up his vision, but it didn't sting, and offered needed cover.

"Coward," the God of the Mountains said with a snort, stamping a foot as it blew steam. "Enough talking. Stand and fight!"

Ether shook a fist in Jarvis's general direction. "You will not use the Mega Wave again, hear? Especially not on Tatara! If you get anywhere near her, I swear I'll-!" 

Doga didn't comment, but instead reached for a Poké Ball to release Yakana. As soon as the Glalie was on the deck, he commanded it to use Ice Beam. "That ought to cool him off a bit." The Ice Beam struck Volcanion head-on, seemingly freezing the mythical Pokémon solid against the wall. Doga made to call back his Glalie, but paused on realizing that something was wrong. "Hmph. Expected more of a fight than that." He noticed the yellow markings on Volcanion as they began to glow. "That doesn't look good. Stay here, Ether. It isn't over."

With a sudden explosion, Volcanion shattered its ice prison to glittering pieces. It let loose a bellowing laugh. "Thought you could freeze a Fire Pokémon, human? Take this!" Before Doga could order a counterattack, it knocked out Yakana in one blow with a Flamethrower. Doga recalled his Pokémon, stepping back. He had more on hand, but Yakana was his favorite and best fighter. With him down, it wasn't looking good. He reached for another Pokémon to take Yakana's place.

"Ether, you send out one of yours. I was right. This is going to be a tough battle. Go, Senken!" The second Poke Ball revealed a light brown Alakazam, clutching two spoons as it glowered at Volcanion.

Ether nodded, sending out Tatara. The Salamence gave a roar that almost made the air shake, tail twining as she braced to fight. "Tatara, Dragon Claw!" Tatara lunged at Volcanion, who easily brushed off the attack before retaliating with a Hydro Pump. Tatara was able to withstand the burst of water, shooting a Flamethrower of her own as she dodged a blast of steam. Volcanion moved to slash her, only to find itself frozen in place by Senken's Psychic attack. With a roar, it managed to down the Alakazam with another heatburst, freeing itself. Senken collapsed, Doga recalling him.

"Not bad for humans," it said with a snort. "Get out of my way. This is your last chance. Leave me and Magearna alone." A thin mist oozed from its body, covering the air around the ship with a heavy fog. Tatara circled the battlefield, trying to get in a shot. As the two humans looked around, trying to gather their bearings, Volcanion stampeded forward, making its way to the heart of the _Tetsutori_.

Taking a shortcut, Jarvis darted into his personal study, recalling Kage and grabbing Eliphas's staff from the bookcase where it rested. The captive Pokémon cowered before him, probably seeing how agitated he looked. He had never used Mega Wave technology in battle, and it was far from ready, but this was as good an opportunity to test it as any. God of the Mountains or no, whatever the creature wanted, Volcanion couldn't be allowed to rampage on his ship, and Jarvis could hardly stop it without the Mega Wave's help. He had a fairly good idea of what the creature was after if the poachers' story was right, and setting up an ambush might work. He would let Volcanion take what it wanted, then strike when its guard was down.

Kage wouldn't be his first choice. She had never faced an opponent like Volcanion, and she wasn't the best for the situation at hand. He saw how well Senken's Psychic had done. There was a better Pokémon to use already on the field. He would hide the staff to reclaim later - the battle would be fierce, and he couldn't risk breaking the precious artifact, but using the Mega Wave only needed a second. It would even the playing field enough.

Ironic, wasn't it? The Pokémon who hated humans would soon get a taste of what humans were capable of.

* * *

Volcanion burst into the study not long after Jarvis left - while the door was built for human use, he simply went in through the window, smashing it and scattering glass across the floor. Without a word, he gestured for the four Carbink to get back in the bag, which he picked up in his teeth. He allowed Diancie to climb onto his back and ride, as it would be easier for her to keep a grip.

"Hang on tight, ma'am," he said. "We might be in for a rough trip. These humans are persistent beasts. Have to say I'm surprised their boss caved so easily, but he didn't look like a fighter. I could smell the fear oozing off him. A typical Azothian. They're cowards without their fancy machines." He barreled through the door, making for the deck, fog still surrounding them. As he ran along a metal walkway and crossed onto the ship's front, there was a sound of scratching as something moved inside the mists. Volcanion looked to the left, only to be smashed in the side with a stream of flames. By the time he lashed out at the source, it had already slipped away.

"Come on out, coward!" he bellowed. "I know you're hiding in there somewhere! Don't play games with me!"

"Very well," a familiar voice said, soft and silky. "If you insist." There was a sound of flapping as thrashing wings dispelled the fog. Jarvis, mounted atop a Mega Evolved Tatara's back, lunged out of the mists from behind. Tatara almost bowled Volcanion over, catching him in a grapple. He tried to shove the vicious Pokémon off of him as the two fought. With the little energy she had built up, Diancie used a Diamond Storm to stun the Salamence long enough for Volcanion to wriggle free. She noticed a strange purple glow in the dragon Pokémon's eyes - did that have something to do with its savage behavior?

"Using my own fog to cover your movements," Volcanion said as he took a fighting stance. "Clever thinking for a human. You're doing a better job than your flunkies, I'll give you that much."

"I thought you would know better than to underestimate us," Jarvis told the God of the Mountains, standing up and getting back on Tatara, who lashed out with another Dragon Claw. He didn't seem to notice that they were dangerously close to the edge of the ship. Diancie noticed a small black circular device in his free hand. "Now, Volcanion, allow me to demonstrate what we mere humans can do."

"What in the name of the Lifebringer are you doing, Sakuro?" Ether came as close as she dared, Doga with her. "We told you to get below deck! This is a matter for the Azothian army, not politicians."

"Of all the arrogant things-" Volcanion shoved Tatara off of him. Jarvis staggered, almost falling off the side of the ship as Rui and Ren gaped in horror. He only just managed to save himself, struggling to climb back up as he dangled from the edge. Tatara went still without orders. Volcanion only breathed out steam and turned to go. Diancie wondered how the humans would react to seeing their leader in trouble. She didn't like Jarvis, but she didn't want to see the man fall to his death, either. Doga and Ether were the closest to him.

"He got himself into this mess," she heard Ether tell Doga when he made to help. "Let him get himself out."

A black-suited member of the crew, a woman, ran to help, pulling the Cabinet Minister back aboard to safety. He gave a quick nod of thanks before climbing back on Tatara to resume the fight.

"Gotta admit, he's got a lot of nerve for a guy who works at a desk all day," said Doga as he watched Jarvis take off. "That's either the bravest or the most stupid thing I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot of stupid stunts in my time. What's he playing at, anyway?" He bitterly added, "Years of training for the Royal Guard, specially bred Pokémon, and I get outperformed in my first serious battle in _years_ by a scrawny politician with a cheap party trick. This is some kind of horrible joke."

His steam pushing him into the sky, Volcanion reached open air, only to be surprised when Tatara went at him again, this time from the side. She roared before smashing into him bodily, claws and fangs bared, pushing him back down with her weight.

"You really don't know when to give up, do you?" Volcanion puffed out more steam, trying to block the other Pokémon's vision. Tatara only beat it away, wrapping herself around his body and sinking her teeth into him while her Trainer finally made his move, climbing from Tatara's back to Volcanion's and grabbing hold of Volcanion's arm for a better grip. "What are you doing? Get off me, human!" For all of the Mountain God's rage, Jarvis positioned himself well - Volcanion couldn't force him off and fight Tatara at the same time.

Diancie noticed that Jarvis, even given the opportunity, didn't go for her or the bag, instead clamping the black device on one of Volcanion's back legs. It shimmered and seemed to disappear into his flesh. Satisfied, Jarvis leaped back onto Tatara, ordering her to dive. Volcanion flew back towards the ship in his struggles, Tatara gnawing on his front leg and forcing him further down.

As they fought in the air, Jarvis seemed to be deliberately pushing Volcanion to the ground. The purple light in the Salamence's eyes faded when they were roughly twelve feet above the ship, the human getting to his feet as her body became enveloped in light. _He's trying to position us for a jump. He must've done whatever he needed to_. Before Volcanion could lash out at him, Jarvis sprang from Tatara's back, landing squarely on the ship and only a little winded from the impact.

When the light fell away and her Mega form disappeared, Tatara herself suddenly seemed exhausted, hanging in the air, her wings struggling to carry her. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Volcanion headbutted her in the belly, sending the Salamence down to join her rider with a roar of pain. She landed with a crash beside Jarvis, lying still.

"Good riddance," Volcanion said as he blasted away, leaving the humans behind. "Hope that gives them a few things to chew over. Doubt we've seen the last of that lot, though - especially their boss. Sneaky varmint, he is. That's how Azothians fight. All machines and creeping around. Can't believe I let him get the drop on me like that."

Diancie looked back to see Jarvis getting to his feet, assisted by Captain Doga and a few other crewmembers. He seemed dazed but unhurt. "Maybe he'll go back home. You almost killed him. He looks pretty shaken."

"So what?" She heard Volcanion's gruff telepathic voice in her head. "He captured you and used you as bait. He's after the Lady Magearna, and I doubt he'll give up after this setback. It would have been better for all of us if I had killed him. Next time, you have my word, I won't hold back."

* * *

Racel and Chymia, together with Zygarde, set up camp in the forest, planning a pathway to the Nebel Plateau. Zygarde knew a passageway through the forest and into the mountains. Racel floated the idea of using the _Hinotama_ again - while Chymia was sympathetic, and she thought her brother had a good point, using the flying-machine would draw unwanted attention. Besides, they didn't know how much energy it had left. Zygarde didn't offer an opinion on that, but it seemed to look down on human technology.

_We were around before there were so many machines, or any humans at all for that matter. It was quieter then. So, did you bring back something to eat?_

Chymia brought out a basket of bread that they bought in town, while Racel produced a bag of rice balls. "Enough to last us a few days if we ration them out carefully. That means only two or three, Racel."

Racel paused with a half-eaten rice ball, his mouth already full. He swallowed after a muffled "Uh-huh", snatching another while handing a third to Fuwa. The Slurpuff gulped it down even faster than Racel did. Chymia didn't feel like scolding him - Racel hadn't eaten since morning, and was probably starving. He always insisted on giving Fuwa an equal share of his food. She made herself some bread while slipping a few pieces to Zygarde. Zygarde accepted, happily nibbling at them.

_Thank you. We technically do not need to eat the way creatures like you do, but we appreciate the gesture all the same. We are making progress - it is not far from the Plateau now._

"Doesn't it get confusing with more than one body and brain?" Racel asked, about to grab a slice of bread of his own. "How do you keep track of everything? It's hard enough to think with one brain."

Zygarde looked up from its snack. _We have our ways. Sometimes we wonder how humans and other Pokémon can fit so much in one head. It must get cluttered in there. Part of the reason we teamed up with you is we really don't know much about humans. We never met and talked to one - there's no law against it, and Volcanion's attitude is in a minority, but your kind has a...mixed record when it comes to respecting the spirits. Especially Azothians. We haven't seen an Azothian outside the city for centuries._

Racel put the rice balls he had left back in his satchel. "Our Cabinet Minister - the one who's the reason we're out here - he doesn't believe in you or Volcanion."

 _To be fair, not an uncommon attitude these days, especially among a certain type of person._ Zygarde nodded. _However, we think your friend will be in for a nasty surprise. Volcanion does not deal easily with intruders on his territory. If he wants Magearna, he'll have a fight on his hands._

Chymia doubted Volcanion would handle Jarvis for good - the minister, for all his faults, was a cunning and nimble battler, and could find a way to slink out of it if he couldn't win outright. He was the kind to have a contingency plan in place. She wanted Jarvis dealt with, but didn't want the man killed, at least not until she confronted him over betraying her and her brother.

 _There will be a reckoning, but not only between you two and Jarvis - between the Nebel Plateau and the Azoth Kingdom, Eliphas's descendant and the royal bloodline, humans and Pokémon, Volcanion and his beliefs, old loyalties and ambition. At the heart of it all is Magearna. Everything's falling into place. Your friend Jarvis is only another cog in the machine. Now, there's one last thing we need to do before you face Volcanion. You deserve to know the full story behind your kingdom's history and why Volcanion hates humans so much. Everything's interconnected, even in ways you don't see._ Zygarde laid itself against a tree.  _We see a chance to end all this misguided fighting forever._

"I remember Jarvis saying to his flunkies that he was the descendant of Eliphas. I-I thought he was lying. I thought someone from Eliphas's family would be a better person. If he was telling the truth..." Racel sighed. "Doesn't change what he did, but I'd like to know _why_."

Chymia scuffed the dirt. "Don't tell me by the end of this I'm going to feel sorry for _Jarvis_ of all people."

_We know someone who can help you answer that question. While what goes on in the city isn't our territory, there are spirits whose knowledge is even greater than ours. We can take you there if you would like._

"Take us where?" asked Chymia. She thought about all the other Pokémon spirits she knew about, in Kalos and outside. It couldn't be that different from meeting Zygarde. Zygarde came closer, its voice soft.

_We have something very important to show you. We were talking to an old friend when you were getting food. There is a spirit even more ancient than us who lives in the tunnels under here - Yveltal, the Great Destroyer. It sleeps, but it is very old and very wise and there is nothing it does not know. It would like to tell you exactly who Magearna is, where she came from, and how she came to live with Volcanion - you two have been very brave and we agree that you are ready to learn the truth. It is a painful story, but it's one you need to know to stop this. You will see that this is more complicated than a battle between good and evil._

Racel winced, coming closer to Fuwa. Chymia knew the stories around the Great Destroyer. Of all the great Pokémon gods in Kalos, Yveltal was the most feared. No one spoke its name - even Jarvis, who Chymia heard swear by Xerneas a few times despite his skepticism, never called on Yveltal. Using its name was said to get the dark spirit's attention, and it would snatch the speaker's spirit away when their time came. "Isn't it, you know, dangerous?"

_No. It only needs to take life at the end of his cycle, and its cycle only just restarted by your standards of time. Right now it lives underneath Kalos, so no one is harmed by its powers until the necessary time comes. Meeting with it will be perfectly safe. Besides, we will be with you. Only your brother is small enough to ride the form we are about to take, but we would like you to come along if you can._

"The _Hinotama_ can travel on land, I think."

_Good. Go back to your flying-machine. We'll let out a bark when we're ready to go. Are you ready, young one?_

Racel nodded. "Yes. Let's go."

 _Well said!_ Zygarde began to glow with a bright green light, other green lights appearing across the forest and merging into its own as it began to grow and change shape into something less bloblike and a lot bigger. As the light faded, Chymia saw that Zygarde became a four-footed creature with a long snout, a green collar, and jagged teeth, muscles taut under its green-and-black skin. It looked Racel in the eye. Fuwa gave a confused purr.  _This is us with ten percent of our cells in one. Now, get on, and hold on tight. This body is the fastest of our three forms, but we can't hold it for long._ Racel recalled Fuwa with an apology - the Slurpuff was too big to ride, and there was no way he could keep up with Zygarde on foot.

Chymia scrambled to find the _Hinotama_ as Racel mounted Zygarde, its haunches tensing for a run. She flipped a switch labelled LAND FORM, the flying-machine shifting into what looked like a mechanical bicycle, complete with a seat for a rider. She climbed on, feet on the pedals, waiting for Zygarde's signal. The ancient Pokémon threw back its head and barked, bolting into the night with Racel on its back, followed close behind by Chymia and the _Hinotama_.   


	8. Reflection

The _Hinotama_ was almost as fast on land as it was in the sky, and in some ways handling its bike form was an even greater challenge. Even more of a challenge was keeping up with Zygarde, Racel firmly mounted on its back. The legendary Pokémon was incredibly fast on its feet, easily able to match the machine and just as tireless. It was hard to imagine that it was the same wriggling creature who could fit in Chymia's bag. Zygarde bolted past trees and streams, springing across rivers. From the looks of it, Racel was focused on keeping his grip around Zygarde's neck. Chymia trusted the creature to protect her brother - she didn't have much of a choice.

 _Hold on tight_. Chymia heard Zygarde's voice, rasping in the back of her head. _It isn't much longer now._

Zygarde came to a halt outside what looked like a small cave, hidden behind sticks and undergrowth, and gave a loud bark. Racel dismounted, immediately releasing Fuwa and rubbing the Slurpuff's head as an apology. Fuwa only purred and licked the side of his face.

 _We're glad to see you were able to follow us. You can get off now, young one, we've arrived._ Zygarde's larger body dissolved into the familiar green blob as pieces seemed to fall away from its glowing body, disappearing into the forest. It panted, as if exhausted from the effort. Racel tilted his head, about to ask what happened. _We told you before._ _We can't hold our 10% form forever. It's...unstable. Something to do with the smaller number of Cells. It was all we could do to keep it together while you were riding us. But we'll be perfectly all right - we've done it before. It's like taking a long run. Now, we need to get into the tunnel._

Chymia knelt, looking into the tunnel. It seemed empty enough, although she couldn't see inside very well with the pathway blocked. "That's where the Great - Yveltal lives? Looks a little small for a Legendary Pokémon." She didn't know much about Yveltal outside of the legends she read, but one thing she did know was that it was enormous. Then again, Racel's book suggested much the same thing about Zygarde. Maybe Yveltal could play some tricks of its own.

She still wondered what Zygarde was up to - how would understanding Jarvis help them stop him? She didn't care about why he betrayed her family. It didn't matter _why_ he did what he did. The man was a creep. Father would take care of him when the time came. The only time his motives would come up would be in the royal courtroom, during his trial. Then she would listen to any sob stories he could dredge up about his past. Not that they would change anything, but the law was the law. Even a traitor would stand trial, and he would confess to the entire kingdom what he had done and tried to do.

It didn't matter whether he was Eliphas's descendant or not, although it was a shame he didn't put his intelligence to a better use. She didn't even understand why he did what he did. Racel liked Jarvis, and he would have been the likely choice for regent if the King died. Her father trusted him enough. He had a comfortable life as it stood. Why would he throw all that away? Did he sincerely think he was doing what was best for the Azoth Kingdom?

_Yveltal lives deep, deep down so that nobody disturbs it before the proper time comes. Now, we need to get the pathway open. If you please, ma'am? We'd do it ourselves, but we're rather tired after our journey. Transforming always takes a lot out of us._

Chymia sent out Shugo and asked her to remove the sticks so they could get in. The shiny Gardevoir nodded, using her Psychic to set the debris off to one side. The fully revealed cave was large enough for both humans and Pokémon to enter, even Chymia and Shugo, so long as they walked single-file. Zygarde took the lead, followed by Racel and Fuwa, Chymia and Shugo bringing up the back. The tunnel was cold and dark - Chymia was glad they were wearing plainclothes, since their royal robes would have gotten damp and clung to their skin.

 _Just follow our voice_ , said Zygarde. _There's nothing dangerous down here. Nothing comes down into the tunnels without the permission of Yveltal. Just stick to the path - we'll let you know if you're going the wrong way._

Zygarde led them along a long tunnel, dimly lit by glowing red crystals. The tunnel led into a vast underground chamber, the two children specks in a field of rock and shadow. The red crystals were the only source of light. Chymia watched the shadows - there was no telling what Yveltal looked like, or when it would come. She heard a the soft rush of feathers against stone and a slight click of claws. Shugo turned, arms raised for an attack if the situation called for it. Fuwa, much less of a fighter, gave a soft yelp of fear as if he noticed something they couldn't.

There was a scuttling sound along the walls, of something Chymia couldn't see but which appeared to be very large. In another second, she heard the swoosh of unfolding wings as the unseen creature descended with a shriek of greeting. Racel covered his ears as the monster plunged down, landing on the cavern floor. Chymia caught glimpses of red-and-black feathers, hooked talons, a dark gray mane, and glowing blue eyes even before the Great Destroyer revealed its full size. It was easily the largest Pokémon either of them had ever seen, its wings in their full breadth filling the cavern and its body towering over the two children. Shugo defensively stood between her Trainer and Yveltal while Fuwa trembled beside Racel.

Zygarde bowed its head. _Greetings, Yveltal. I have brought the children as instructed. I leave the rest to you._

Yveltal gave what must have been a nod of respect, the enormous Great Destroyer recognizing the forest's guardian. _Well done, Zygarde. Now, step forward._   _Do not worry, Gardevoir, I won't hurt her. I commend your bravery._ Shugo reluctantly stepped aside, letting Chymia approach. Yveltal saw Racel hesitate and shrink back, hugging Fuwa. Yveltal's voice was deeper than Zygarde's, but with the same sense of age behind it. _Don't be afraid, boy. I won't hurt you - I only wish to talk to you. You must be very young._ It shook its head, scraping its claws. _I know the stories they tell about me above ground. None of them are true. I see and hear everything. I draw all life into me when my time comes - therefore, all living things are as much a part of me as a feather from my wing or one of my claws. Hurting them before the proper time would be hurting myself. My purpose is to make sure the balance between life and death is kept. I do not take more than the Lifegiver can give back._ _Now, to business. Do you two know how Magearna was created?_

"Of course," Chymia replied. "Eliphas brought her to life five hundred years ago."

_He built her shell, but he did not give her life. Life cannot be given freely by anyone besides Xerneas, only taken. Eliphas took the life energy from sick Pokémon to create her, something he regretted for the rest of his life. She knows nothing of that, and it's better that way. But do you know why Eliphas built her?_

It was Racel's turn - most of what he knew about the Azoth Kingdom's past was taught by Jarvis, and unlike Chymia he paid attention to his lessons. "The Azoth Kingdom didn't always use Mystery Science - the gears which power the city used water. Then there was a drought which dried up the river running through the town. People started getting sick and the crops died. The king worked with his Chief Minister, Nicolas Brand, and Eliphas to save the city - together, they made Mystery Science into what we use today. The city grew under the use of Mystery Science and the river was paved over even when the water came back."

_Very good, but there's more to the story and a part that no one wanted taught, least of all your ancestor. I'm afraid the truth isn't such a happy story. Let me take you back to Eliphas's time - not physically, of course, but I can show you and your sister visions of things I was there to see that already happened. Brace yourselves for what you are about to see._

In an instant Chymia, Racel behind her, found herself in what she immediately recognized as the royal palace - both Zygarde and Yveltal were gone, along with both Fuwa and Shugo. The passageway was one she had run along many times as a girl, admiring the stained-glass windows and artworks that decorated it. There was a man standing close by with a bushy beard and the robes of a scientist, accompanied by a gold-painted mechanical doll, looking around the building through electric-pink eyes. She recognized the creature from Racel's design plans. Magearna! That meant the man had to be Eliphas himself. The legendary inventor looked every year of of his age, even Chymia feeling a sense of exhaustion and weariness from him. Or, more likely, given what she had been told about Magearna's origins, guilt.

Two more men entered the hallway, slamming a wooden door behind them and closing Eliphas out. The first she recognized from the portrait in Jarvis's office - Nicolas Brand, the greatest Cabinet Minister in Azothian history. Brand was a heavier man than his modern-day counterpart, with black hair and a pointed beard. He wore a ruff around his neck and the standard brown-and-orange uniform of his office. The second was a handsome blond man who wore the blue-and-gold of the Azothian royal family, judging from the pin visible on his chest. A rapier was tied to his side.

Btrand spoke first, visibly pleased with himself. "Well, Your Majesty, Eliphas did it. I told you, the man is a genius. I have no idea what he did, but I've never seen anything like it. That creature - Magearna, he calls it - has infinite energy contained in that Soul Heart it has. Our problems are over. All we need to do is find a way to tap into that energy."

"A good idea," said the King, "but Eliphas will never go along with that. He told us to take care of Magearna and to make sure his designs went to his sons."

Cutting ahead, Brand waved the remark away. "Eliphas doesn't have to know anything. He's half in the grave already, the Lifebringer only knows what making that thing did to him. Honestly, I'm not sure I want to know. But you know the situation. There's no other solution. We need Magearna. The Azoth Kingdom needs Magearna. People are burning effigies of me in the town square. There's talk of open revolt if this isn't fixed. I'm not usually one for making choices like this, but I'm not getting strung up in the street over a piece of paper. This thing could _save our people_ , Your Majesty. Hundreds of years' worth of power and political stability. A promise isn't worth that." He shook his head. "I like the old man. He's brilliant. But he doesn't understand the way things really are."

The King paused, scratching the underside of his chin. "You bring up a good point. So, what do you suggest we do?"

"It's simple. We tell Eliphas that Magearna will be well taken care of. There's a war tower that we can redecorate to hold it. We aren't lying - it isn't like we're hurting it, as if the thing can feel pain. It's made of metal, not flesh." He kicked against the floor. "I haven't the faintest idea why he cares so much about something that isn't even alive. Hundreds of people, _real_ people and real Pokémon, are counting on the Soul Heart's energy. Magearna and the rest of Eliphas's designs remain in our custody. It isn't as if his children would do anything worthwhile with them. His eldest boy is a bit too fond of the local tavern for my liking..."

Yveltal's voice cut through the conversation, the vision fading back into the damp cavern and both Brand and the King vanished. _Brand and the King had their way, and Eliphas was none the wiser. Magearna was locked in a great tower, her energy drained as a power source for the Azoth Kingdom. Her extracted life force powers all of its lights, machinery, and technology - your energy crisis is merely the city's reserves of stolen life force running out. This is where Volcanion came in. One of his spies informed him that there was a Pokémon held prisoner in the Azoth Kingdom, and even then he was wary of the city folk. I will show you what happened next._

The next scene was of a dark room - Chymia saw a Pokémon chained to the floor, strange glowing wires attached to its chest. Judging from the Pokémon's gold coloring and the design matching the plans Racel stole, it was none other than Magearna herself, the energy in her Soul Heart being drained directly through tubes. Suddenly, there was a sound of clattering as something huge burst down the door. It revealed itself as a large red-and-yellow Pokémon, squeezing itself in with some effort.

Magearna, startled, gave a series of beeps.

To Chymia's surprise, she heard Volcanion's gruff voice. "Don't worry, ma'am, I'm a friend, here to rescue you." He sliced through the chains holding Magearna with one stroke, destroying the tubes with another. "That's those horrible things gone. Humans. I can't believe they did something like this. No respect for life at all. Give me the word and I'll blow the entire city to pieces." He gave a snort of contempt, puffing out a billow of steam. "What are you, anyway? I've seen a lot of strange Pokémon in my years, but never one like you before."

There was a dull hum from Magearna, and Volcanion nodded in understanding. "Magearna, eh? Nice name. I'm Volcanion, God of the Mountains. Pleasure to meet you. Tell ya what, get on my back. I already made us a path through."

More beeps from Magearna, these ones a little more anxious as the mechanical Pokémon pointed to the window.

Volcanion only laughed. "What, the humans? They won't know nothing. I've got a place set up south of here, past the mountains - the Nebel Plateau. It's a sacred place for abused Pokémon to hide and heal. Don't worry, I'm sure they'll like you. They like me well enough." The ring on Volcanion's back split into two tubelike arms - he picked Magearna up and gently placed her on his back. "Hold on, I'll be taking us out of here." As Racel and Chymia watched, Volcanion left the way he came in, Magearna with him. The tower faded into Yveltal's cave.

 _Volcanion never forgave the humans for what they did, becoming ever more bitter over the years. He wasn't the only one. Eliphas's children never received the money their father wanted them to have. The family slipped into decline, most of them dying off in the five hundred years between then and now through disease, war, and simple old age. At last there was only one branch of the family left, descended from Eliphas's youngest son, driven into poverty by bad business decisions and gambling dens. There was one member with promise, a bright, hardworking young lad who you may very well have liked had you met him then. His curiosity and skill with machines grew in spite of hunger and empty pockets. His parents sacrificed more for him than he ever knew, all to give him a future. He's someone you know very well._ Yveltal's blue eyes glowed as it spread out its wings again. Let's _meet him, shall we?_

The next image was of a teenage boy alone, sitting at a desk, only accompanied by a shiny Gastly who hovered beside him. There was a pile of books surrounding him, one especially large one open in front of him. He scribbled in the open book, taking notes, focused on his work, occasionally sipping from a mug at his side. There was something familiar about him - the light purple hair, the single-minded focus, the lean figure. She didn't recognize him at first under his unfamiliar clothes, almost hanging off him, and his youthful features. Finally, when he leaned back and showed his face in full, it all clicked together. There was innocence, but an all-too-familiar cunning behind his eyes.

_Jarvis! That must be Jarvis a long time ago. Why is Yveltal showing us him?_

The strange teen had to be Jarvis Sakuro himself. The hair, the darting purple eyes, the shiny Gastly, even the lean, gawky figure were there. If anything, he looked even more lanky than he did as a grown man. He even wore rounded spectacles that reminded her of the goggles he used as an adult, although these glasses made him look more scholarly than sinister. Looking at him, he didn't seem at all like the schemer he would grow to become. She hated to think it, but something about his posture reminded her of Racel.

Chymia had never imagined Jarvis as anything other than the fully-grown Chief Minister she knew and hated. Come to think of it, she didn't know much about his past at all, or where he came from - she never asked, and he never talked about it. She knew he had been around for a while - he was a confidant of her father and a veteran of the court even before he became the Azothian Cabinet Minister, and their old friendship was partly why he received the position at all. She saw him back when he was a fiery cabinet member, notorious for his speeches about the importance of modernization and the Azoth Kingdom's need to look to the future. She wasn't the only one who wondered why the King chose such a controversial character for such an important position. If what Yveltal implied about his past was true...she couldn't forgive Jarvis, he was her enemy, but she could understand him.

Then again, if he really _was_ poor growing up, he should have been grateful to her father for giving him a roof over his head and palace food in his belly. He looked satisfied enough with his lot in life, his hair clean and his study well-furnished. His clothes looked fine enough, if a little loose on that lean body. So why _had_ he betrayed them? He owed everything he had as a grown man to the royal family. He was a schemer and a firebrand, but he wasn't _stupid_.

"Sakuro!" The door to the study burst open and he looked up, startled. His Gastly shrank back into its gas cloud. A stout, red-faced man wearing the brown uniform of a royal cabinet member stormed in, slamming a pile of papers on the desk. While Jarvis was taller than the other man even then, he seemed to shrink into his chair. "Look alive, will you? These forms are due at six o'clock sharp. Spellchecking, copying, the usual works. This is important paperwork, so no mistakes. Once you're done with that, bring me my nightly cup of coffee." Jarvis jumped in his seat before scrambling to grab the first paper. "Remember, you only stay here so long as you earn your keep. That was the deal. One screwup and it's back to the streets where we found you!"

"Y-yes, Mr. Fabel. Right away, sir."

Chymia realized that the study didn't belong to Jarvis - rather, it was Mr. Fabel's, and Jarvis was working under him. Judging from the jobs described, he was some sort of clerk or apprentice. It made sense that Father would have put him under a more experienced politician for training. It must have been stressful if someone his age already needed coffee on the job.

"Good boy." Mr. Fabel patted Jarvis on the head, his features softening a little. "Sorry for blowing up on you. Rough day at work, you see. A word of advice - never get into politics, kid. Remember, six o'clock sharp."

Jarvis set to work as soon as the cabinet member left, swallowing his drink in one hasty gulp and setting the mug aside. He adjusted his glasses, straightened his paper, and grabbed a pen. The Gastly purred in concern on seeing her Trainer's worried features. Jarvis, putting down his work for a moment, turned to comfort her. Chymia didn't know he had Kage for that long. Now it made sense why he was so attached to her even years later, or at least had been. He probably didn't have much from his younger days left.

"Don't worry, Kage. Mr. Fabel's not that bad. He's...just a bit grouchy, that's all. I'm sorry, but we can't play like we did back with Mom and Dad. I have to grow up, and that means I need to get this work done for Mr. Fabel, for both of us. You can stay, just don't bother me until I'm done." He forced himself to turn away and return to his paperwork, Kage visibly saddened by her Trainer's harsh behavior. "Please understand, Kage. I have to look out for both of us now."

The study faded back into Yveltal's cavern, the Great Destroyer watching them. Racel looked hesitant to speak, Fuwa giving a concerned purr. "I never knew Jarvis used to be poor when he was little. That Mr. Fabel guy was horrible to him, and he seemed pretty lonely. Is that why he got so grumpy?"

_It certainly didn't help. I can't show you everything, but the life of Jarvis Sakuro was not a happy one: a lifetime of frustration, failed policies, what he saw as the stupidity of his peers on the royal cabinet, learning that the family he earnestly swore to serve had betrayed his own ancestor and cheated his family. Above all he resents people who he sees as lazy and born into money - people like you and your sister. It's just as well he's heading for the Nebel Plateau - it is a place of healing for Pokémon. Maybe it could become one for humans, too, with some help._

"What do you mean? Help Jarvis? But he betrayed us! He... he...whatever happened to him then doesn't change the fact he's our enemy now."

 _That is true, but he is not beyond saving. Eliphas made his share of mistakes, some serious ones, but he was never an evil man at heart, and something of his ancestor lives in Jarvis Sakuro yet. I have met people like him before._ Yveltal shuffled in the cavern, claws scraping the dirt. _There are things in the world worse than death, children, for all people fear me. Nothing I can do is worse than what people do to themselves. There was once a man - a distant relative of yours, I believe, there was mingling between the Azoth Kingdom and greater Kalos back in his day - who committed a terrible act out of grief and revenge, an act so horrible that he threw himself out of the natural cycle entirely. No matter how old and tired and weak his bones got, he could not die. He was cast out by his own people. Living creatures smelled death on him and fled. Even his own Pokémon, who he had given up his soul for, left his side. Once a great king and warrior, he became only a shell, alone with only remorse it was far too late to feel. In the end he found me in my tunnel and begged me to have mercy and take his life away._

Yveltal threw another image into their heads - this time of a tall man in ragged clothes, tall enough to dwarf even Jarvis, on his knees before the Great Destroyer, wailing. He was clearly very old, judging from his long white hair and rugged features. In the vision, Yveltal observed him for a moment before leaping up onto the cavern walls with a keening cry, leaving the crying man alone.

_But it was too late - whatever he had done to himself made it impossible for me to take his life, as if Death itself rejected him after what he had done. His remorse was sincere - but it was far, far too late. I consoled him as best I could, but I could do nothing. He wanders still, a broken and wiser man._

Chymia knew the story, somewhere in the area between history and myth. The weapon and the king were a matter of history - a huge chunk of Kalos was almost destroyed, and swathes of Pokémon and humans killed - but the curse was myth. She always took it as a cautionary tale about warmongering. The Two Brothers of Kalos and the Great Weapon, and the horrible curse of immortality that was placed on the brother who chose to use it. Some said the Lifebringer gave it as a punishment, but others, who seemed to be correct, said that he had done it to himself. "What does that have to do with-?"

Yveltal shook its head. _There are some acts that cannot be walked back from. The old King learned that lesson too late. It is not too late for Jarvis Sakuro. Close, but not too late. He is treading a dangerous path, but he can still turn back, or be shown the proper direction. He has made many wrong choices - dabbling in dark arts, betraying the family he swore to serve, knowingly hurting those he cares about - but still has the chance to make the right choice where it counts. The same goes for Volcanion. He needs to learn that blind hatred helps no one. Minister Brand and the Azothians who hurt Magearna are long dead._

"What does Jarvis have to do with anything?" asked Racel. "Father will deal with him once we take him back home. We just need to talk to Volcanion."

_It is not only about Mr. Sakuro. There are others whose fate rests on his choices, perhaps the whole of Kalos. He is still a part of the great web of life, whether he knows it or not, and there will be war unless he is stopped. The way to stop him and Volcanion is not through force. That will only lead to more violence and death. He has blinded himself, and must be made to see._

Chymia couldn't believe the request. "You want me to talk to him? He won't listen to me. We never got along, even before he turned on us. He thinks I'm immature."

 _There is someone else here who he_ might _listen to._ Yveltal's blue eye turned to look directly at Racel. _But I will leave it up to that person to decide what to do and say when the time comes. I cannot interfere more than I have. You must be brave. If you can face me, you can face him, and Volcanion, too. Remember the value of love and compassion, child, even for those who cannot see it in themselves. You have a good heart, and your innocence is your strength. There is a way the Azoth Kingdom can be saved without killing Magearna._

As they watched, Yveltal crouched before springing up into the cavern, disappearing with a few flaps of its wings. There was clearly nothing more to be said. Zygarde turned, leading the two children out of the cavern as they thought over what Yveltal had said.

If the Azoth Kingdom needed Magearna to survive, and if they had to bring peace between their people and Volcanion, they had a hard job cut out for them. The King didn't know about Magearna - as far as they knew, only Jarvis and his lackeys did. The first thing to do was talk to Volcanion. If they were going to fight Jarvis, they needed an ally, and he was the best one available.

The only issue was showing the Mountain God that they were friends and not a threat. That's what Zygarde was for, but there was still a sense of discomfort. What was Volcanion like in modern times? It sounded as if he was bitter and angry.

And what would they say when they met him?

* * *

Rui and Ren had met a lot of people with issues. Heck, they had issues of their own. In their experience, everyone dealt with their issues in their own unique way. Some people dealt with their problems at the casino. Others dealt with their problems by drinking.

Jarvis Sakuro was the first person they ever met who coped with his problems through burying himself in his work. After the battle on the flight deck he disappeared for the rest of the day, under the excuse that he wanted to clean up his study. Luckily Volcanion hadn't damaged any of his books or historical artifacts, but from the glimpses of his room they saw there was a considerable amount of damage. The real reason was almost certainly that he wanted to clear his head and plan his next move.

That was fair enough. They weren't the ones who almost died fighting Volcanion, and his fight with the creature seemed to leave him badly shaken. What Doga and Ether had done - or, rather, hadn't done - probably wasn't lost on him either. Rui and Ren hardly believed it when they saw Ether just about leave her superior officer to die.

Pinsir and Heracross were still recovering from the battle, along with the rest of the crew's Pokémon. The two did their best - it wasn't their fault that their last two fights left them ridiculously outmatched. Rui and Ren were only common hunters, not warriors. Heck, trained soldiers and battle-bred Pokémon fell apart in front of that brute. They didn't know why Doga thought they could help against Volcanion. They were lucky no one _died_. Maybe the big man just liked messing with them, keeping them on their toes.

It wasn't really Jarvis they were afraid of anymore. They saw enough glimpses of discomfort under the mask to know that a lot of his tough act was just that. He had defended them when Ether shoved Ren off the side of the ship. For all his aloof behavior and cold attitude he acted to protect his crew and lasted longer against Volcanion than anybody else. They agreed with Captain Doga for once. Riding Tatara and attacking the Great God of the Mountains head-on was the bravest thing they had ever seen, let alone rejoining the fight after he almost got knocked off the side of the ship. They had a healthy respect for the Salamence's power, and whatever he did to her allowed them to face Volcanion on even terms. Tatara was the only Pokémon among the crew who even lasted more than a few turns against Volcanion - it effortlessly tore through everyone else.

His courage hadn't been lost on anyone else, either. After the fight and when he reemerged, his crew treated him differently - claps on the back, congratulations, salutes when crew members saw Jarvis on the deck. He wasn't just the expedition's mysterious and antisocial leader anymore. He was now the man who rode a Mega Salamence into battle, fought a god one-on-one, and survived. Even Ether's troops seemed to favor him over their own general. At one point one of her men, a little drunk, offered to split a beer with the Chief Minister. Jarvis refused, if politely, explaining that he needed to keep his mind sharp.

Ren, who heard about the episode from a soldier on duty, thought Jarvis could have used something to cool off. "Poor guy, always so high-strung. A little somethin' down that scrawny gullet of his would do him good. He could use a little, I dunno, _fun_."

Ether, on the other hand, accused Jarvis of risking her favorite Pokémon's life for the sake of his ego. When the two were recovering, she ran to the exhausted Salamence and embraced her neck, ignoring Jarvis, still a little groggy from the duel and his jump. As for Tatara, she gave a downright murderous look at Jarvis. Neither poacher had ever seen a Pokémon so visibly furious at a human. If she hadn't been so tired, she probably would have lunged at him. Rui and Ren didn't know what the Mega Wave they heard so much about did, but it clearly angered Tatara and, judging from how tired she was, had some nasty side effects.

Some time after the fight with Volcanion, Jarvis summoned the entire crew to the deck, instructing them to release their Pokémon. He looked through them one by one with a notebook, asking for the Pokémon's name, the name of the Trainer, and recording each one which interested him.

"Bet he wants to do to them whatever he did to Tatara. Pinsir and Heracross ain't gonna go through that, no way." As Ren watched, Rui protectively stood beside their Pokémon, facing Jarvis as he approached. "Ours can't Mega Evolve, mate. We ain't that good trainers. We ain't even soldiers. You're wasting your time."

"The Mega Wave brings out the inherent potential of _all_ Pokémon," said Jarvis without looking up, "no matter how weak they may be. And your two, despite your questionable training, have potential." Before Rui could argue, he wrote down both Pinsir and Heracross before moving on to another soldier, a Pidgeot perched beside her.

They watched him talk to Ether, who looked about ready to punch him in the face as Tatara, head raised, gave a thin, murderous hiss. She wouldn't attack in her owner's presence, but Rui and Ren wouldn't want to know what she would do if she was alone with Jarvis. They wouldn't be surprised if one day Tatara decided to have her tormentor as a tasty mid-flight snack. That was the best thing they could think of. Jarvis, either ignorant or oblivious, shook his head as both Ether and her Salamence fumed, writing down Tatara's name. When he was done, he apparently decided it was time for one of his speeches, springing atop a pile of boxes made into a makeshift podium.

"I am pleased to announce that progress has been made toward our goal. During yesterday's battle, I was able to attach a tracking device to Volcanion, allowing us to follow him to the Nebel Plateau. This is where I believe Magearna is." There were scattered cheers before Jarvis gestured for silence. "Judging from how effective the Mega Wave was as a tactic against Volcanion, I have decided to form an army of Mega Evolved Pokémon to battle it. If one Pokémon could fight it to a standstill, imagine what five or ten or even more could do. As such, I ask that everyone in the crew whose names I recorded turn over their Pokémon to me for the time being - of course, only until we retrieve the Soul Heart. I need to practice commanding them as a group."

"Why?" asked a soldier with a Tyranitar. "I didn't think the Mega Wave was ready yet. You said there were side effects, and I'd like to know what they are before I let you anywhere near Rama."

For a moment, Rui swore he saw a flicker of uncertainty on Jarvis's features before he covered it up again. "The Mega Wave procedure is incomplete - I was unable to correct the side effects. The process boosts the power of a Pokémon to incredible levels - but it only lasts a short time, and the procedure causes Pokémon intense pain." There was a murmur of discontent among the soldiers, both Doga and Ether especially angry. "I know that you don't want to subject your Pokémon to such a process. That's fair. But you saw how your Pokémon in their natural state did against Volcanion as compared to Tatara under the Mega Wave. I would not resort to these measures if they weren't the only way." More grumbling, but no one could dispute that. "The Mega Wave is the only way we can defeat Volcanion when we face it again at the Nebel Plateau."

"I believe him," a soldier with a Sharpedo said. "That thing just sucked up Kasu's attacks. Thought Fire-types were supposed to be weak to water."

"Jarvis is right. We don't stand a chance any other way," another added, stroking her Manectric's fur. "If there's any way Raiun can stand up to that monster, I'll take it."

One at a time each selected soldier, fourteen in total, handed over the Poké Balls that contained their Pokémon. Even Doga and Ether cooperated, although neither one looked very happy with it. Rui and Ren were last, reluctantly turning over both Pinsir and Heracross. They didn't want to do it, but it wasn't as if they had any choice in the matter. Jarvis nodded, acknowledging them as he took the Poke Balls.

After the speech and when everyone returned to their own cabins, Rui and Ren took to walking along the ship's side. They weren't about to leave - not without Pinsir and Heracross, at least. While they were hunters, they cared about their own Pokémon and wouldn't leave them alone, especially not with Jarvis Sakuro and his...whatever the Mega Wave was. Ren was the one who heard hushed voices first,on the deck of the _Tetsutori_. It sounded like Captain Doga, more irritable than usual. He saw the shadow of General Ether not far away. Rui threw himself against the wall, listening in.

"I've had about all I can take. Yakana and Tatara are ours, and I'm sick of Jarvis using our Pokémon whenever he wants. He can experiment on his Gengar if he really needs to, but he's overstepped his bounds with the crew. He'd be nowhere without us - he went to _us_ for help, I remember. I say we teach him his place."

"I know it's getting hard," Ether said, "and believe me, there isn't anything I'd like more than to knock him down a few pegs. He's taken my Pokémon, my ship, even my troops' loyalty. I am sick of Jarvis Sakuro."

Doga folded his arms. "He has been playing mighty tough lately for someone I could snap like a twig. Strutting around like the _Tetsutori_ 's his to use, showing us up, complaining about our food like the ungrateful creature he is."

"Believe me, he's a coward at heart. It's all bluster. He won't have the nerve to dispose of the Prince or Princess when the time comes. But, as he says, we have to be patient. We don't know where Magearna is. We don't have the power to take on Volcanion without the Mega Wave's help. You know he never lets it out of his sight. I have a plan, though - be quiet, and stop looking so nervous. We wait until he leads us to the Soul Heart, and until then do as he says, no matter how stupid. If his methods fail, or he shows the smallest sign of weakness, we do things _our_ way."

Doga looked around, as if checking that no one was there to hear. "What are you saying, Ether? We betray him?"

"Don't play coy with me, Captain. What I'm saying is that Minister Sakuro's position as expedition leader is subject to...change, shall we say. If he doesn't see things through, we will. A traitor can't complain when he's stabbed in the back." She took Captain Doga by the shoulder. "Queen Hitomi Ether and King Aiko Doga of the Azoth Kingdom. Sounds good to you, doesn't it?"

Doga still seemed hesitant, even if he liked the general idea of the plan. "And what about Jarvis? He's head of the expedition, and the crew would side with him if we tried a coup. We both know that."

"Let me handle him." Ether gestured to the sword buckled to her side. "He's a talker, not a fighter, especially if we catch him without his little trick. Mystery Science is nothing compared to a good right hand. Why, I bet even we can do the same thing he can if we get our hands on Eliphas's staff. But we don't act until I give the signal. Understand, Captain?"

Rui and Ren exchanged looks - this definitely boded poorly for their boss, and it was technically their responsibility as members of the _Tetsutori_ crew to report this to Jarvis. But at the same time they wanted to save their own necks, and that meant not antagonizing Doga and Ether, who were increasingly dangerous people. As a general idea it was better not to get in the way of people with swords, and they had no particular reason to want to help Jarvis. Not after he took Pinsir and Heracross.

Anyway, if these were the people Jarvis chose to hang around with, he was the one who would have to face the consequences.


	9. Battle Lines

Volcanion landed without much trouble, dropping the bag and allowing the four Carbink to leave. "Stay close," he told them. "We don't know what else the humans are planning. Reckon they're heading to the Plateau - I swear their boss put something into me, and I can't get it out." He set off, Diancie noticing a slight limp where Tatara had bitten his leg.

"I saw that," said Diancie. "He put a black thing on your back leg." Volcanion turned to look. "It won't do any good. I think it was sucked into your body somehow."

"Must be some kind of tracking device. I thought it was weird that he gave up like that. Looks like we're gonna have company back at the Plateau." He stamped his foot on the ground. "Blast the humans! Especially the scrawny one with the glasses - I've got a score to settle with him. It still hurts where that Salamence of his sank its teeth into me. I don't understand why Pokémon work for humans like that. Magearna's in danger." Diancie could feel Volcanion's body heat up as his rage grew. "I can't abandon my home, but I've got to warn everyone. Maybe I can hold them off long enough for my people to get to safety."

Merrick made sure that the other Carbink were all healthy. "You caught them by surprise. Next time, they'll be the ones on the offensive, and I reckon you aren't the only one whose ego got bruised back there. Diancie said the human boss looked pretty spooked."

"I should think so. I almost killed him more than once. If he had half a brain, he'd turn back, but I doubt he will. Knowing them, probably it's a matter of pride at this point. The only reason I didn't finish the job is because I had to get you to safety first. Can't fight too well with other Pokémon clinging on to me." He squinted, narrowing his eyes. "Kaze told me you claimed to be a member of my clan back on the ship. Merrick. I remember you. You actually thought that trainer of yours would come back to get you. Apparently he didn't."

"It wasn't his fault," Merrick replied, a little irritated. "He was dead by the time I caught up with him."

Volcanion grunted. "Hardly went looking, did he?"

Merrick couldn't look Volcanion in the eye, but stayed defiant. "Maybe he did. I don't know. For all he knew, I was lost. You picked me up - he never got the chance."

"Humans don't care about Pokémon. Never have, never will. They only use us for our power since they have none of their own. If it hadn't been for that Salamence, I would have made short work of those humans. The Azothians in the past used Magearna for her power and now, five hundred years later, they haven't learned a thing. I'd like to squeeze a few answers out of the one with the goggles, though, once I get my claws on him - why his people are after Magearna again all of a sudden, and how he found out about her to begin with. Not like them to travel so far from home. That one seemed pretty clever for a human, though." He grimaced as he took another step. "Don't worry, I won't kill him - not until I _convince_ him to get that thing he put in me out. Can't have humans knowing where we live. Funny thing is, I don't feel any different."

"Are you okay?" Diancie cringed - the wound looked nasty, and Volcanion got hurt trying to rescue her.

Volcanion gave a pained smile. "Don't worry yourself about me, ma'am. I'll be fine. Magearna can fix up my leg with no problem. She's healed worse after my scrapes with poachers and the like. I protect everyone, but she's the one who patches us up when we have fights or accidents happen. She can fight, don't get me wrong, I made sure of that, but she doesn't like it. Always says I shouldn't be so reckless." He breathed out, steam filling the air. "I don't know what was up with that Salamence. Never saw a Pokémon fight like that before. It looked different the second time around - bigger, and a lot more vicious, too. And it wouldn't _give up_. 'Course, it wasn't too much to handle, but it gave me trouble, much as I hate to admit that."

"Kage - she was Jarvis's Gengar - told me it's something called Mega Evolution. He can force Pokémon to Mega Evolve, even if they don't want to or aren't his. Mega Evolution must make them stronger." Diancie pieced a few things together, both using what Kage told her and what she saw in the fight. "I think it must tire them out pretty fast. That's how you won. You outlasted Tatara - she was strong, but she couldn't keep it up."

Volcanion's head turned, eyes wide. "You talked to them?"

"Only his Gengar. Jarvis himself didn't say much. I think he wanted to study me back where he lives, but I thought it would be best if he didn't know I could talk to humans."

Volcanion gave a pleased grunt. "Smart thinking. I'd like it if you told us back at the Plateau everything you heard and saw on that battleship. Kaze saw a lot, but she didn't see everything - I didn't see that Salamence coming. If the humans are attacking, we're going to need to get ready for a fight. Would you five be willing to join us? We've got a few pretty strong Pokémon on our side, and most of us used to be trained Pokémon, but we'll need all the help we can get. I appreciated what you did with that Salamence. That was a gutsy move."

Dace made to say something, but let Diancie answer. "Yes. If your home's in trouble, we'll be happy to help."

"Me, too," said Merrick, Allomere and Bort agreeing. "I haven't forgotten everything about my old home. Consider the full force of the Diamond Domain at your service, Lord Volcanion, for what that's worth."

"The Diamond Domain, eh? You're pretty far from home. Kaze told me that you were looking for something when the humans caught you. I'd be willing to help in any way I can, but I can't leave the Plateau, at least until those humans are dealt with. But I'd be happy to lend a friendly ear if that would help. Feel free to tell me what's troublin' ya. I'm used to hearing all of my people's problems - everyone's got a story, I always say."

"There's a special diamond that helps our home stay healthy," Diancie told Volcanion, "and it recently started to die. Without it, my people back at the Domain will have to move. I have some power over the Diamond Domain's diamonds, but I couldn't fix this, and we have no idea what went wrong. We came out here looking for a way to heal it - or at least to find a new place for our clan to live if we're left homeless."

"Tch. That does sound bad. Well, I'm always happy to take in Pokémon who lost their homes or who are down on their luck. My spies usually tip me off when there's a Pokémon in my area who's in bad enough trouble, but the Domain's pretty far away. Brave of you to leave your homes like that, and it's a pity those humans had to get in the way. Consider yourselves honorary Plateau members, straight from me. You've suffered enough for it." Volcanion tapped Merrick gently with a claw. "Even you, Merrick. Magearna and I wondered what happened to you. Figured you'd run off to find your human. I'm glad to see you found another family."

Merrick's ears twitched. "Thank you, Lord Volcanion."

Volcanion sniffed the air. "Not far now. Come along, I'd like to introduce you to the Plateau's Pokémon. It's been a while since we had new arrivals - I'm sure everyone will be pleased to meet you. It's Plateau tradition for me to give all new arrivals a tour."

The protective fog broke to reveal a green valley, filled with Pokémon of all different species - Litleo, a trio of Altaria, a huge, brawny Chesnaught. A nervous-looking Gulpin was cowering beside the Chesnaught's tail. There were still more Pokémon gathered around a great tree, shaped like the ring on Volcanion's back, and beyond the tree Diancie saw a large river with a pouring waterfall.

An Amaura came forward, lowering its neck before Volcanion in respect. "Good evening, Lord Volcanion. Glad to see you made it back safely."

"That's the good news, Fureku. The bad news is, we'll be having worse company soon. The Azothians know where the Plateau is now. Their leader put some kind of machine into me that'll let him track me back here. Tell everyone to gather around the sacred tree. Guard Captain Toge." The Chestnaught looked up. "Escort Lady Diancie and her friends to meet Magearna for the tour. I'd come myself, but my people come first." He noticed Diancie's confused expression. "Toge's my Captain of the Guard - more-or-less he's left in charge when I can't look after the Plateau. He's one of the most powerful Pokémon here - he used to be the starter Pokémon of a pretty strong Trainer. Unfortunately, his Trainer's methods were...harsh, to say the least, and Toge ran away. I found him in the woods and picked him up."

Toge sighed. "Pokémon are taken here for all different reasons - some of us were abandoned, some were abused, others had their homes destroyed by humans, others got orphaned..." He pounded his fists together. "Azothians, huh? Don't tell me, these are the same ones Kaze told us about. They're the ones after Magearna?"

"Afraid so. These humans are trouble. Most of them seem weak enough, but their leader's a cunning varmint, sneaky enough to give me a real fight. We can expect a small army of 'em, complete with some pretty tough Pokémon."

"His name's Jarvis," Diancie told the Pokémon. "The Azothians who are coming work for him."

Volcanion snorted in contempt. "Doesn't matter what we call him. I'm not going to dignify him by using his name. Humans are all the same. _That_ one's just a fair bit smarter than most. He was right about one thing, much as I hate to admit it - I let my guard down in our fight. Won't do that again. I'm used to fighting poachers and Pokémon hunters, not an opponent with some brains." He breathed in and out. "Mega Evolution. That's a new one."

"Come with us," said Toge, drawing Diancie and her entourage aside. "You've been through enough. Lady Magearna would like to see you."

Leaving Volcanion behind to address his people, Diancie followed Toge down to the sacred tree, where she recognized several of the Pokémon. A Hippowdon lay down beside it, a Litleo and a Stunky playing on its back as a Scrafty watched. Three Wormadam, each one a different color, gossiped with a Claydol. A Pidgeotto - probably Spymaster Kaze, off hours - sat on one branch, several of her Pidgey and Fletchling spies perched beside her.

Magearna was a Pokémon vaguely similar to Diancie herself in shape, although she was slightly taller. She had electric pink eyes, a vaguely gear-shaped head with ears as metal as the rest of her, and a bulbous body that was shaped vaguely like a dress. She made a series of fast-paced beeps, gesturing to Diancie.

 _Visitors, Captain Toge? I assume these are the Pokémon Volcanion recently rescued? I'm pleased to see that all of you made it to the Plateau safely. Feel free to settle down. It must've been a long, hard day for you._ Her eyes flashed briefly. _Volcanion warned me that the Azothians were coming back, but I didn't realize they would take prisoners._

"Yes," said Toge. "The one in front is Lady Diancie, Queen of the Diamond Domain. The others work for her. Their home's sick and they came here looking for help."

 _Merrick? Is that you?_ Magearna gestured for the battle trainer to come forward, rubbing him on the head. _What a pleasant surprise!_ _I never forget anyone from our little family, even though a lot has changed since you left._ _It's a pleasure to see you safe and well._ _I never thought we'd see you again. Volcanion thought you'd run away to find your Trainer. It's been such a long time..._

"I did miss you," Merrick said with a bow, "and I'm sorry if I caused you or Lord Volcanion any stress. It's just that...well...I thought I'd do better on my own, and if I hadn't left the Plateau I never would have met Diancie and my other friends back at the Domain. So things turned out all right in the end. Everyone seems friendly enough, though they're all new faces."

_Oh, Merrick, you were always such a worrywart. It was one of the things I liked most about you. You and your friends can stay at the Nebel Plateau for as long as you like. We never turn away a Pokémon in need._

"Magearna says we can stay," Merrick told the others as Volcanion returned. "Anyway, Volcanion saved us from Jarvis. I reckon we owe him one."

Magearna gave a startled beep. _Jarvis? Who's Jarvis?_

"The wise guy who gave me _this_." Volcanion grimaced, showing his scratched-up leg. "Reckon you can fix it up?"

 _Of course._ Magearna fetched some Oran Berries from a nearby bush, pressing them into the wound. _A human did_ that _? Looks more like tooth marks._

"No, no, not him specifically. He was riding a Salamence, and that's what ripped up my leg. Toughest fight I've had in a while. But don't worry - they won't take you if I can help it. Don't worry yourself about him."

_But who is he?_

"It's a long story. You know the humans who are coming here? He's their leader. We were captured by poachers a while back, and he caught the poachers. Volcanion can explain the situation better than us. Suffice it to say, he and his group of Azothians are coming here and they're trouble." Merrick looked back past the valley. "Anyway, it's probably not long until the meeting starts. Why not introduce us to everyone here? We've met Kaze, but everyone else is new." He turned to the other Carbink. "Magearna learned to talk through the patterns of her eye flashes. She says her creator taught her to read and write human language, but that won't do much good out here. I'll translate for her since Lord Volcanion is busy for the moment."

Magearna and Merrick introduced each Pokémon in turn by name and life story. Diancie was struck that so many Pokémon had been hurt by humans. She hadn't wanted to use the poachers and Jarvis to judge all humans by, but every human she met had been unthinking at best and cruel at worst. She wondered if Dace was right about humans after all.

Leaving the other Pokémon, Volcanion lumbered over to the lake behind the sacred tree, dipping his tubes into it. The holes in them opened up, visibly sucking in the water. "You're thirsty?" asked Diancie, following Magearna.

"Not really, no. I'm not like most Water-type Pokémon, since I can't make my own water. I used up most of my supply in that fight, so I have to refill my tanks, so to speak. I'm not _drinking_ this water - I'd use my mouth for that - but I have a special organ I use to heat up the water I take in." As Diancie watched, the lines along Volcanion's arms turned blue as his body filled up. He pulled them back, forming the usual ring. "Ah. That's better. Can't be running on empty now. Magearna, show them to the sacred tree. It's time to draw out some plans for battle."

Before Magearna could reply, the Amaura from before came in, visibly out of breath. "Bad news. The humans are here, Lord Volcanion. Come and see for yourself."

Volcanion, Magearna, and Diancie arrived to see two blond children surrounded by the Plateau Pokémon, a young woman and a small boy. The girl, a shiny Gardevoir beside her, stood in front of the boy, presumably to protect him. A pink Slurpuff, tongue lolling from its mouth, cowered behind them. Diancie didn't recognize them from Jarvis's crew. They seemed too young to be soldiers.

"Azothians," Volcanion said, voice menacing. "I know that scent anywhere. What are you two doing here? Spying? Don't think I'll go easy on you because you're young. I've had quite enough of your sort today."

"We're here to help," said the woman, standing firm. "My name's Princess Chymia, and this is my younger brother Prince Racel. We're the current heirs to the throne of the Azoth Kingdom. Please let us explain - we don't mean any harm, Your Majesty, and I think we have a common enemy."

"Those aren't the right humans," Diancie said, recognizing the names from Kage's story. Princess Chymia and Prince Racel, the Azothian heirs who Jarvis was trying to disinherit. "I don't think these ones are dangerous."

"Leave my territory or else." Volcanion's ring opened up. "Humans aren't welcome here. Only reason you two aren't dead is because I want to know how you got here in the first place first."

Magearna raised a hand. _No. Let them speak. I don't sense any malice from these two._

Volcanion sighed, scraping the ground with a foot. "Magearna, these humans are direct descendants of the king who locked you up and tortured you. That's if they're telling the truth."

 _They are_. A small green creature sprang out of Chymia's bag, facing Volcanion. _These humans came here with our permission and are under our protection. They mean no harm. It is unfair for your grudge to extend to all Azothians._

Volcanion stepped back, startled. "Zygarde? What are you doing here? This is far from your forest."

_We came on behalf of the humans. These two are here for good reasons. We'll let them explain further._

"Our home is in danger," Chymia explained. "We're running out of power, and without Magearna's help our city will die. There are people in our kingdom who have been taking advantage of the instability for their own gain..."

Snarling, Volcanion came closer, teeth bared. "Magearna stays here with me in the Nebel Plateau. She isn't going anywhere, especially back to that terrible place. Go back where you came from. If the Azoth Kingdom dies, that's no loss to me. Your problems ain't mine."

"They will be soon. Our Royal Cabinet Minister - Jarvis - is coming here, and he wants Magearna too. Unlike us, he's going to try and take her by force."

Volcanion shifted his injured leg. "Oh, we've met. For all I know you two are working for him. Or maybe he's working for _you_."

Racel stepped forward, angered by Volcanion's accusation. "No! No, we're not!"

"I can vouch for them," Diancie said, interrupting the argument. "Jarvis betrayed the royal family. He's only working for himself."

Racel gave Diancie a surprised look, partly because of her words and partly at the shock of hearing her speak. "Wait. You know Jarvis? You met him out there? What did you think?"

Diancie shrugged. There wasn't much to say. "He...wasn't very nice. His henchmen were even worse."

"That figures. Who are you? I'd be surprised that you can talk, but..." Racel glanced to Zygarde, who blinked. "It's been a strange past few days."

"I'm Diancie, Queen of the Carbink of the Diamond Domain. So...you're to the humans what I am to the Carbink?" Diancie figured, judging from what Kage told her, that these two humans were the true Azothian leadership. She hadn't expected humans so young. They seemed nicer than the others she met.

"Not really. My dad's the King. Chymia's the oldest, so she's next in line to be Queen. I'm just her little brother."

Chymia explained the situation further. "He's after Magearna, too. He thinks that if he takes her heart back to the city, he'll be able to restore our power and bring the Azoth Kingdom back to its glory days. He's trying to play the hero, I guess - if he saves the city, the Azothian people will be more likely to side with him over the royal family, which he's probably right about. He's planning to take the kingdom over, and it isn't safe for us to stay at the palace until we deal with him."

 _My heart?_ Magearna clasped her hands over her Soul Heart, something even Racel and Chymia could easily interpret. _If the humans take my Soul Heart, I'll die. It's where my life is, like humans need their hearts to stay alive. Eliphas told me that._

"If your city is dying it serves all of you right," Volcanion said in a huff. "Your family treated her like an object. The only reason I didn't destroy the city back then was because she asked me not to."

"We didn't know about what the old King did to Magearna," Racel told him, "and we're sorry. We'll bring Magearna back once she's helped us. We agree that she belongs here with her friends, and we think there might be another way that could work for everyone."

 _Magearna could be a sort of ambassador for the Plateau's people,_ said Zygarde, looking directly at Volcanion. _I wouldn't be going along with this if I didn't trust the children. Besides, the other humans are a lot worse than these two. Hatred and suspicion will help no one. For our sake, please hear them out._

"I don't trust humans, but I do trust Zygarde. If it's willing to vouch for ya, I'll be willing to hear ya out once I've dealt with your buddy Jarvis. This isn't the best time to ask for help." Volcanion relented, the glow on his arms fading. "But I do have a deal we could make. There's gonna be war soon, so that could be a chance for you two to prove your loyalty to me. I take it he isn't a friend of yours."

"That's putting it lightly," said Chymia, folding her arms.

"Well, consider yourselves and your Pokémon temporary members of the Nebel Plateau Standing Army." Volcanion, following Nebel Plateau tradition, tapped all four on the chest with a claw. "Never thought I'd ally with Azothians. These are strange times. That's a powerful-looking Gardevoir you have there."

Shugo curtsied. "Thank you," she said, although only the Pokémon could understand her. Fuwa only sniffed.

Volcanion thought, steam puffing out of his nostrils. "You two are Azothians, and you know the humans who are coming here. So, is there any chance you could provide some help on Mega Evolution? I don't know much about what it is or how it works, so some inside information would help. 'Cording to Miss Diancie, we'll be fighting a lot more of them, and just one gave me more trouble than I'm used to."

Chymia gestured to the necklace Shugo wore which held her Mega Stone. "Shugo can Mega Evolve. If it's okay, we'll demonstrate."

"Good. Having a Mega on our side should help. I'd reckon we outnumber 'em, and we've got some pretty tough Pokémon here. We've got Zygarde on our side. Despite its looks, it's even more powerful than me. If we train ahead of time, we might be able to face 'em on even terms." Volcanion gestured with a paw. "Go ahead. Show me what that Gardevoir of yours can do."

"Well, what Jarvis does isn't really Mega Evolution. He's...altered the process somehow. We aren't sure what he does, but it isn't how Mega Evolution works, at least not how it's _supposed_ to work. Stand back, and I'll show you." As the assembled Pokémon watched, Chymia fiddled with a strange blue-green pendant that Diancie noticed on her arm. A bright light absorbed Shugo, and when it cleared a black Mega Gardevoir stood in her place, her dress bigger and her shape changed. Shugo curtsied again.

"Impressive," said Volcanion. "Is there any way to share that with my army?"

"Unfortunately, no. Mega Stones only work for certain Pokémon, and ones who have an especially strong bond with their Trainers at that. Not just anyone can do it. I only knew one other Trainer capable of Mega Evolving his Pokémon. Jarvis could Mega Evolve his Gengar even without whatever he's doing these days."

Some of us," Fuwa said, peeping out from beside Racel, "can't Mega Evolve at all."

Koge slouched, claws brushing the dirt. "That," he said with a trace of envy, "sounds incredibly unfair." The other Pokémon muttered agreement among themselves.

"How are we supposed to beat these guys again?" asked a Litleo, tail swishing.

A Pidgey beat her wings, throwing up sand. "Why do humans always get the best weapons? Some of us aren't even fully evolved, and we're supposed to fight a bunch of Mega Evolved monsters?"

"Feh! I don't care how many of them there are! I'm gonna find this creep and slug him in the face!" The Scrafty lunged out with a punch, tripping over and almost falling on the Gulpin.

 _I don't know if he sees it that way, Koge. We have Legendary Pokémon on our side, and we outnumber them. If we use our moves properly and target Pokémon weak to our own types, we could win. They aren't invincible._ Magearna gestured to Diancie, Zygarde and Volcanion. _Diancie thinks the kind of Mega Evolution Jarvis uses might have a weak spot. Let's turn the conversation over to her._ She moved aside, Diancie approaching the assembled Nebel Plateau Standing Army.

Diancie tried to remember what Kage told her. "While I was on Jarvis's airship, I talked to his Gengar, who gave me some information about what he's doing. He developed a way to Mega Evolve multiple Pokémon at once. She said that the process causes Pokémon intense pain. When I saw his Salamence fight, it seemed as if she couldn't hold it for very long, and when it wore off it was all she could do to fly. Volcanion knocked her out easily then. I think it only lasts a short time and it wears Pokemon out. That means if we're able to hold our ground and fend them off for long enough, we'll win."

One of the Fletchling swooped down from the tree. "That's a pretty big 'if'."

"I say we keep the kids," the Hippowdon said, shuffling to the front of the assembly. "Their Pokémon could be a big help. We can't exactly turn down allies when we're about to fight a Mega Evolution army. Most of us haven't fought in a serious battle for years."

Volcanion looked as if he was considering something. He turned to Chymia and Racel, his voice kinder. "You two - you've come a long way. Why not give us a spot of help? Most of the Pokémon here at the Nebel Plateau aren't fighters, at least not for a very long time. A few sparring matches and drills would do us good."

"Chymia and Shugo have fought before." Racel shrugged. "Not me so much. Or Fuwa." Fuwa shuffled, as if embarrassed by his status as a prince's spoiled pet. Racel tried to put on a brighter face. "But we'll try our best. We can learn."

Zygarde tried to look as intimidating as it could in its base form. _Count us in, too. The children's fight is ours._

Volcanion roared, drawing all attention to him, humans and Pokémon alike. "Good. Magearna, stay by me. If these humans want you, they'll have to get through each and every one of us to do it!"

* * *

Between mastering the Mega Wave and general business with his crew, Jarvis didn't think the Nebel Plateau could come up soon enough. Issues with the technology aside, he wasn't expecting too much trouble. The limited time frame wasn't much of an issue - not if it was fifteen highly trained army-caliber Mega Evolved Pokémon, enhanced through the wonders of Azothian technology, against one already tired Mountain God. It wasn't as if wild Pokémon could put up any organized resistance. Why, they might be done and home before tomorrow's nightfall.

As for Volcanion...whatever the creature was, it wasn't a god. He wouldn't have been able to wound it if it was. Any Pokémon, however powerful, could be defeated in battle. However, he would be more careful in the second round, keeping a record of his opponent's capabilities. Going from his observations and those of the crew, Volcanion was a Fire and Water-type Pokémon, the first ever recorded and a powerful one at that. Water attacks had no effect on it, covering up one of the Fire-type's usual weaknesses. That still left Electric-type Pokémon. It was a good thing that his Mega Evolution Army had an Electric-type member. He reminded himself to give Raiun's Trainer a raise.

If he was very lucky, maybe the strange Carbink-like Pokémon would be there, too. He still knew very little about it, and he would have liked to continue his observations if the Soul Heart hadn't been a more pressing problem. Maybe he could present her before the Mystery Science Bureau personally - unlike the Mega Wave, he was under no pressure to withhold knowledge from them. Mystery Science was his primary field, but the Bureau despite its name represented multiple disciplines, and a new Pokémon species would be of interest to biologists. He would secure a place in the Azothian histories and science books. Even Nicolas Brand hadn't done that.

And all he had to do was put up with General Ether and the ship's conditions for a little longer. All that would be worth it in the end. He leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes, imagining his fellow cabinet members apologizing for their treatment of him, salutes from the Royal Guard, the admiration of his people. No more backbiting, no more nicknames, no more disrespect. The _Tetsutori_ crew's loyalty was only a sample of what would happen once once he brought back the Soul Heart. Jarvis Sakuro, from street ragamuffin to deliverer of his country. He smiled. It would be _glorious_.

"Minister Sakuro!"

Jarvis sat bolt upright, fumbling for his goggles and slipping them on. General Ether's voice. Of course she wouldn't bother to knock. "Coming!"

Ether stood in his doorway, hat in her hands, Doga beside her. She gave a deep bow, which he followed. Jarvis ushered them both into the study, wondering why she had finally used his title. Even for this brief time, she was unusually polite - not that he was complaining. "Minister, we, uh, wanted to apologize for how we've acted over the past few days. We know you've been under a lot of stress recently, and we should have pulled you up when Volcanion attacked."

"What _was_ that about?" Jarvis asked, eyebrow raised. "You two are bodyguards, you know."

"We thought you could handle it," Doga said, "given how smart and quick you were. Trust us, it won't happen again."

"We'll be taking more care to fulfill our duties to the acting King," Ether told Jarvis, taking his shoulder.

Jarvis noticed the flattery, but he rather liked it, and it was a lot better than being insulted. Of course they were sucking up to him - he was in all but title King. Royalty didn't suit him, but he could see the appeal. "Good. See to that."

"And how is the Mega Wave coming along?" Ether asked, ignoring the look Jarvis's Gengar gave her. Jarvis wondered why Kage was being hostile to Ether - the General had never hurt her. Maybe she had sensed Ether's hostility towards Jarvis and Jarvis's dislike for her for long enough that she just didn't like her. He and Kage had something of a mental connection. She could read and respond to his emotions and thoughts and maybe she hated Ether because he did.

"Well enough. I reckon we'll be ready for the final push tomorrow." Jarvis posed with Eliphas's staff, trying to look regal. "I'll be going in alone with the army. This is a job that must be handled carefully."

Ether shook her head. "With all due respect, Minister, the Guard Captain and I would like to come with you. Just to...make sure things turn out all right. You know how high the stakes are. Of course we'll let you do the heavy lifting, but we wouldn't be doing our duties if we didn't come along."

"I am a Royal Guardsman," said Doga, putting a hand on his sword. "My duty is to serve you."

"Well," Jarvis told them, "the best way you two can _serve me_ right now is by helping to keep order on the deck. We'll be arriving soon, once I've made sure everything's in place and made a few final tests. If you two want to come, I'll arrange for a small guard. But we can't bring too many of our troops or Volcanion will know something's up. I still don't know how it knew who we were and what we wanted." His guess was that Volcanion was somehow familiar with Azothian technology or even tangled with Azothians before - but that didn't explain it calling for Jarvis by name.

"Really?" Doga muttered. "From the looks of it you were taking a na-" Jarvis, for a moment, thought he saw Ether nudge him in the side. "Very well. As you wish, sir."

As Jarvis returned to his work, he noticed Kage staring at the door where Doga and Ether had left. What had gotten into her, anyway? It wasn't like her to be so hostile to his guests. He hoped things would calm down once they found the Soul Heart, if only for peace of mind.

There were bigger problems at hand, anyway.


End file.
